


Confounding Factors

by manno_malfoy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Asexuality, Demisexuality, Eating Disorders, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:39:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11110524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manno_malfoy/pseuds/manno_malfoy
Summary: Between the weight of her last name and the overpowering influence of her mother, Rose Weasley tries not to spiral as she attempts to figure her life out and to dismiss all the expectations that her family and the world have for her.





	1. An English Summer

I’m not sure whose idea it was to go spend a summer in Muggle London, but I thought it was a marvellous idea. On our first day at Mum’s old house, instead of unpacking like any normal person would, I spent all my time leafing through the extensive book collection in my mum’s old room, which I was occupying. There was a lot of muggle literature and nonfiction which was nearly impossible to find back home despite the progress in the Wizarding World’s stance towards muggleborns and muggle things in general.

Our parents only got two weeks off work in the summer, during which Mum took us around her favourite places in London. That included small obscure restaurants, her favourite libraries and parks, and of course, sightseeing. But even after those two weeks of thoroughly exploring London, we didn’t want to go back home. And that meant that Hugo and I were practically living on our own until the evening. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Hugo and I didn’t have to take turns cooking every day.

“I suppose that’s the downside of living in a school where food just materialises onto the table most of the year, and the rest of it, you’ve got Nana Molly force-feeding you,” Mum had said with a sigh the first time she came home finding us quarreling while a pot of soup boiled over, flooding the stove. 

“Where are you going?” Hugo crossed his arms and stood in front of me as I pushed my mum’s old bike out of the garage. I had spent the previous night with Mum fixing it and modifying some of its features with magic, and I was bursting to try it out while exploring the neighborhood.

“I’m obviously taking this bike for a spin,” I told him and I mounted the bike, giving the brakes a squeeze to avoid his lamenting gaze.

“Rose,” he said pointedly, taking full advantage of his newly low-pitched voice.

“Hugo, I made rice. There are leftovers. Mum and Dad are having dinner with the Potter’s today. Now let me enjoy my last summer break ever, please.” I took a moment to tie my hair up in a bun above my head. Rogue and dense as it was, it felt heavy on top of my head and teteered to one side.

“Okay, but you also said you’d help me study today. Which you’ve also said the past three days, but now I’ve really hit a wall with Charms and I can’t seem to figure it out.”

I frowned at my brother, still failing to understand why he was burying himself in preparation for the next academic year already. Sure, the Granger genes and the influence of Mum’s presence in our lives meant we all did start reading ahead at some point during the summer break. But not during the first couple of weeks! That was a new level of lunacy. “Hugo, two things. One, take a fucking break. Two, Charms isn’t my strong suit; owl Albus.”

“I did. He told me he’d rather eat your cooking than touch anything school-related during the summer,” he said and scratched the back of his head then looked at the ground.

“Well, in that case, Mum is all you’ve got. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to help you,” I told him and put one foot on the pedal. “Now, I’d like to cover as much distance as possible before clouds decide to kick in, so, have fun learning Charms without a wand, little brother.” I gave the ground a push and took off, leaving Hugo standing alone, still cross-armed and cross with me.

I wobbled a little at first, but it only took me a few seconds to find my balance. I found the sensation similar to riding a broom, just a bit more physically demanding, and definitely much slower. But after two weeks of just hanging out with my family and eating at a different restaurant every other night, I could have used the exercise. I was on the lookout for a nice reading spot, but every park I passed by seemed to be teeming with kids whose loud shrieks I could hear from a distance.

Almost half an hour had gone by, and I was beginning to sweat a little when I came upon a small football pitch which had a few rows of empty seats all around, and only a handful of teenagers huddled in the middle of it. I decided that this was my best bet, unless I wanted to cycle a 30 KM roundtrip every day just to get to read in peace away from Hugo’s sulking and his constant whining.

And fortunately, it worked out great. After a week of coming daily, I learned that people mostly attended matches on weekends, and that there was a schedule of matches on the gate, so I could evade them all. I even befriended a team of girls that came to practise on Tuesdays and they invited me to go jogging and even do the fitness exercises with them “if I could keep up anyway”. And because it sounded like a challenge, I agreed.

We were doing pushups one afternoon, and it was so humid that my red curls had doubled in volume so much that my elastic band snapped. And while I could easily do thirty push-ups, I was having trouble staying focused as my hair continued to fall over my face and cling to my skin. I was still at my 15th count when a group of blokes invaded the pitch, and everyone was immediately on their feet, chattering and laughing amiably. I thanked Merlin for my luck as I sat down on the grass and maneuvered the hair away from my face. I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but I didn’t care. I had my reading to get to anyway.

I was about to get up when some blond bloke in a red football uniform came and stood in front of me and said, “Oh, it is you. I couldn’t really tell because your hair was hiding your face, but I really should’ve guessed from the hair.”

I frowned for longer than was appropriate at the guy’s face, trying to make any sense of what had just happened. ““Well, this is something I never thought I’d see. Scorpius Malfoy playing football -- a muggle sport. What has the world come to?” I smiled at him mockingly and got to my feet.

He scratched the back of his head and pursed his lips for a moment before saying, “I was never particularly against muggle things. In fact, I almost aced Muggle Studies most years.”

“Still though… You’re a Malfoy. Does your father know?”

“NO,” he said loudly and slowly, his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. “And I’ll really appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone…? If Witch Weekly catches a whiff of this, my life might as well be over,” he asked with a smile and then a ran a nervous hand through his hair.

I shrugged, “We’ll see.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” he asked.

“This is my reading spot; I’m staying nearby this summer. And the girls let me exercise with them,” I was explaining when a ball soared towards my head as someone called Malfoy’s name out loudly from across the pitch. On pure instinct, I managed to catch it and then I caught myself smirking. “Hmm… this is easier than Quidditch.”

“Don’t throw it back to them; that’ll teach them,” Scorpius said.

I squeezed the ball between my palms as I asked, “So are you any good?”

“I guess you’re gonna see,” he said, and glanced over his shoulder to see what the others were up to.

“I may be a halfblood, Malfoy, but I don’t know a thing about football.”

“Ah well, good for me, I guess. I’m not sure which is worse, you going around telling people that I play football or you going around telling them I’m bad at it,” he said with a chuckle. “I should go before they come stampede us. Talk to you after?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said with a nod and tossed the ball to him.

I’m not sure how much time had passed before a drop of water landed on the page I was reading and I craned my neck up to see the grey clouds rolling overhead and a faint glimmer of lightning. That’s how immersed I was in that muggle novel. I had barely even seen Scorpius play at all. I quickly but furtively cast a protective charm on my book to make it waterproof, and I looked up to find Scorpius standing next to me with an open umbrella.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. “How do you go home? ” I asked as I got up and walked with him.

“I usually fly to the nearest fireplace connected to the floo network and then go home from there,” he explained.

“And where is that?”

“The only one I know of is close to King’s Cross,” he said and then sighed.

“Isn’t that a bit --”

He interrupted me and finished, “Far, yeah. And I don’t apparate well enough to attempt to do it over such a long distance.”

“How… dedicated,” I said, quite impressed but also befuddled by his extreme interest in this muggle sport. “Should you fly such a long distance in this weather though?”

It was already raining so hard that there was water seeping into my shoes from the damp grass we were walking on.

“I’ll manage. We’ve played Quidditch in worse weather.”

“Yes, in a small pitch and usually with supervision,” I argued. “Come back with me to my place. It’s hooked up to the floo system.”

“Will we walk to your place?” he asked as we stood by the gates and some of his mates passed by and gave him a slap on the back and mumbled a greeting, or occasionally, an obscenity .

I shook my head, “I came with a bike and it’s not walking distance from here. Not in this weather anyway. And I didn’t get my apparition license.”

“Does that mean it’s flying distance from here?”

“I’m just worried because it’s raining so violently and we have to fly really high because it’s a muggle town,” I explained.

We crossed the street, and he stopped under a giant tree. I tried to shield my glasses from the rain by putting both my hands over my eyebrows as he said challengingly with his one-sided ever so slick smirk, “Are you really that scared of a bit of rain? Come on, I’m a good flyer. Or have you forgotten?” He closed the umbrella and proceeded to tuck it into his backpack, then he pulled his broom out of it. I looked at his wet bag with distaste; this was one of the charms I could never seem to get right and desperately needed.

He mounted his broom and it floated off the ground, then he transfixed me with a daring look.

I rolled my eyes as I sat behind him on the broom and held onto his shoulders. “No, I have not forgotten. But do tell me, why is Ravenclaw’s star Seeker wasting his time on a muggle sport?”

“You know Damien Sheffield?”

“Hufflepuff? A year older than us?” I said, double-checking I had the right person in mind.

“Yeah, he’s muggleborn, from around here. We’ve been friends since I was in third year. He invited me over one summer, taught me the game, and I’ve been into it since then. I used to floo over to his house, but he’s already started Auror training, so he isn’t staying with his parents anymore,” he explained and let out a wistful sigh. “So, where are we headed?”

“Erm… I think that way?” I pointed in the direction I had come from briefly as we began to lift off the ground, then I gripped his shoulder again.

“You don’t sound too sure,” he told me but followed my instructions anyway.

“I’ve only ever come by bike; things look very different from up here. There’s a very large, distinctive library close to the house. We’ll be able to spot it from a distance,” I said, trying to reassure him.

He shrugged and said, “If you say so.”

The rain had started to get heavier and my flimsy t-shirt and sweatpants were soaked and clinging to my body. But at least the wetness had reduced the volume of my hair.

“So… Are you going to be team captain this year?” I asked.

“In fact, yes,” he replied then turned around and frowned at me for a moment as he asked, “Wait, how’d you know?”

 

“I… didn’t,” I said. “But then again, you’re with Finnigan, aren’t you?” I wasn’t the nosy kind of person who kept up with gossip, but it really wasn’t that difficult to notice that a team member and the team captain were dating. Especially when they weren’t being particularly discreet about it.

He paused for a few moments before he said, “No offense, but I don’t know you well enough to talk about that.”

“Fair enough,” I muttered with a shrug. And while I understood his point that we were never more than acquaintances on the Quidditch team together and occasionally partners in class, I still didn’t think that my question was too intrusive. “And by the way, I wasn’t insinuating you got the position just because you’re dating the team captain. She asked me first, but I’m sure you know that.”

 

“That was you?” he frowned at me again then turned back to look ahead of him. “I knew she asked someone else first. I didn’t know it’s you. Why did you turn it down? And why did you nominate me?”

“I have absolutely no time this year and no leadership skills whatsoever. And even if I did, I don’t think I would like to be responsible for Ravenclaw’s hopes and dreams for keeping the cup another year,” I explained. “And I didn’t nominate you. I suggested you. But I guess Finnigan didn’t want it to seem like she’s just handing it to her boyfriend, so she told me she’d ask a couple of other people on the team what they think, but I don’t know how that went or what she ended up deciding. Until now, anyway.”

It didn’t make sense that Finnigan hadn’t mentioned that to him. But I sure as hell was not going to inquire about that.

“Oh…” he mumbled. “Is that the library you were talking about?”

“Yes, we’ll take a right from that. My house is at the end of the street,” I said. “Also, I don’t want my family asking questions or getting any ideas about this, so we’re gonna have to be… well, tactful.”

“I don’t want to cause you any trouble…”

“You won’t. My brother is the only one in the house. We just have to evade him,” I told him firmly. “This is my house; we should land here.”

“Okay, thank you. I really appreciate this,” he said as we began to descend. “What will you do about your bike?” he asked as we walked toward the door.

“I put a few charms on its lock and I suppose I’ll just take a long walk tomorrow if the weather is nice and I’ll get it.” I craned my neck to look at Hugo’s window, and I could see he had the lights on. I thanked Merlin under my breath then said, “I’ll ask my mum if there’s any place nearby that’s hooked up to the floo system. She would know.”

I felt rather sorry for Malfoy that he had to fly such a long distance just to play a game. I would have offered to let him use the fireplace whenever he needed to had I been sure it wouldn’t inconvenience the rest of my family or elicited tormenting inquiries from Hugo, and eventually Lily whom he would pass the information to. And I wasn’t ready to risk that for Malfoy.

I unlocked the door and once we were in the house, I cast a silencing charm so that any noise we could have possibly made wouldn’t alert Hugo. We walked past the dark corridor and into the sitting room.

“There’s a bathroom on your left if you want to go change out of your uniform, by the way,” I said and pointed in its direction.

“Oh, thanks,” he said and went in.

I went up the stairs quickly to check on Hugo. His room’s door was almost closed, but not completely, so I peeked in through the crevice. His head was in the book on his desk, and he seemed to be asleep. Or trying to extract the information through his skin. Whichever it was, I thanked Merlin once again and made my way back down.

When he came back out, he was wearing a black hoodie and had his wet blonde hair glistening and slicked back away from his face. He walked over and placed a hand on the fireplace then said, “Hey, Rose, I’m sorry if I’d been rude earlier. It’s just that… Well, there’s been a lot of drama with Jenna recently and I just didn’t want to get into it. That’s all.”

I shook my head slightly, “Scorpius, you don’t have to explain. I understand. Really.”

“Alright, thank you,” he said with a nod. “I’ll see you around.”


	2. Habits: Old vs. New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter includes content about eating disorders.

I had big plans for the quiet summer away from the Weasley clan and in this cosy muggle town in London. I wanted to go running every morning, cycling every evening, exercising with the football girls twice to three times a week, and read two to three books per week. If it was possible to make a living off getting fit and reading good books, I would have gone for it. But alas, I only had two months to do it. And to be honest, I wanted to avoid any thoughts about my future after leaving Hogwarts. But at least I had plenty of activities to keep me distracted all summer.

 

After finishing my morning run, I walked home and towards the garage to grab my bike and head over to the football pitch. The weather was warm and the sky was so tantalizingly blue that I tried not to admire it so much as not to jinx it. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh, dry air before I went into the garage. I put on my backpack and as I was pushing my bike out of the garage, I saw Albus coming out of the house.

At first, I frowned at him, not sure why he was here. Was something wrong? I then managed to push my unsubstantiated concerns aside and just be glad to see him. “I’d hug you, but I’m really sweaty.”

“How much did you run?” he asked me, walking towards me and my bike.

“10K,” I said it like it’s no big deal.

“And you’re going for a bike ride right away? No rest, no snack in between?” he put his hand on one of the bike’s handles.

“I can’t trust the weather to wait for me,” I said. But then, I started to get suspicious. I decided to let him keep asking questions anyway, just to see where he would take it and how he would do it.

“Did you… have a good breakfast?” he started to fiddle with the wires of the brakes, looked at the ground briefly then back at me. 

He wasn’t even trying that hard to be subtle. “Albus, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t play games with me. This is not how we do things.” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.

He made some noise clearing his throat then shook his head a little. “I’m worried that… that you’re pushing yourself way too hard, and that... you’re slipping back into bad habits.”

Alright, well I guess I had asked for it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I let it out slowly, not sure what to say to that.

He gave me an adequate amount of time before he said, “Wanna go for a walk?”

I nodded, still standing with my arms crossed, nibbling on my bottom lip anxiously. Albus sensed my discomfort and took the bike into the garage for of me. He then returned with a casual smile as if nothing had happened, hands in the pockets of his jeans as said, “Let’s go?”

 

I nodded again and we began to walk away from the house, not entirely sure where to .

“Who told you?” I knew it wasn’t the best question the ask. It made it sound like I had something to hide, but I couldn’t help my need to know who was relaying information about my day to day activities to Albus.

“Hugo, although not explicitly.. He’d been owling me about Charms, and he actually came over a few times. And whenever I asked about you, he said you’re running or cycling or doing some sort of fitness thing with muggles that you’ve befriended. I just had my suspicions and thought I’d come check on you,” he explained.

Once again, the only response I could muster was a nod. The thing was, I hadn’t even thought about what was going on with me from that angle until Albus had put it blankly to me. Was I pushing myself with exercise? Sure. But was I slipping back into an eating disorder? I didn’t really know.

“So… Do you want to talk about it? Or do you wanna get some ice-cream?” he asked. “I vote for both, by the way. I would really like some ice-cream, now that I think about it.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Albus. You’re not as coy as you think you are,” I told him.

“I’m not trying to be coy. I want you to eat so that I’m not worried about you. I know how competitive you are and I know how you sometimes don’t realise when you’re pushing yourself too hard. We’ve been through this before, so this time around, I know better than not to interfere. Alright?” I could hear the concern in his voice, the tension making his voice higher than usual and louder than was necessary.

I wished he had suggested something healthier, like juice or even brunch where I could have ordered a substantial meal. I decided not to argue or object so I wouldn’t worry Albus even more.

“Alright… You’re right,” I conceded in a mumble, and thought back to the last time and how long it had taken me to unlearn all the harmful habits. It was when I first joined the Quidditch team, and I took it as an incentive to get fit. And it started with portion control but soon enough progressed to skipping meals and even fasting whole days. I wanted to look like the Quidditch stars I had idolized all my life, and I was never taught that some things were unattainable.

“I don’t want you to worry too much. I really am okay. It isn’t like the last time. I’m just working out a little harder than usual and eating healthier food. I promise,” I reassured him with a smile.

“I’m still going to come to check on you anyway,” he informed me with a shrug.

“Good, because I’ve missed you. I mean, the circumstances that brought you today aside, I’m glad you came today,” I told him, and bumped my shoulder into his playfully.

“So… are you actually taking me to an ice-cream place or are we just wandering around?” he asked.

“I can’t deny you ice-cream. Not in this weather anyway,” I replied and looked around me to make sure we were going in the right direction. I was sure I had passed by a place during my run. “Are we going to talk about the stubble?”

“What about it?” he asked with a frown and self-consciously ran a hand over his jaw line where the shadow of a beard was starting to form.

“Makes you look kinda old, Al,” I said honestly with a smile.

“Correction: it makes me look older. Which is fine because without it, I kind of look like a twelve-year old,” he said defensively, still frowning. “Since I’m mostly just staying at home, it doesn’t matter if I look slightly ridiculous. So I’m just experimenting.”

I laughed a little bit, rather glad he wasn’t planning to keep it permanently, “Oh, what a relief!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

One day, I headed early to the football pitch to stretch and get a few laps before the rest of the girls came. It was the day they played with the team of blokes, the one that Scorpius was on, so the exercise was always cut short because they seemed to need more time than usual to strategise on those days. I knew very little about football, but the little I had seen of it was always either an all-girls team or an all-boys team. But it was explained to me that recently, mixed teams were quite common.

“Not in official games though, not yet anyway,” Kate, the girls’ team captain informed me the day they were explaining all of this to me, befuddled by how little I knew about the sport.

I had almost let something about Quidditch slip that day, that for at least the past 200 years, it has been a mixed gender sport. But luckily, I caught myself before I said anything stupid.

That morning, I was jogging around the pitch when I saw Scorpius come in, his broom nowhere in sight. I was on the other end of the pitch and I saw him toss his backpack on one of the plastic seats. I thought he was heading towards me to say hello, but instead, he walked to the middle of the pitch and lay down on the grass, his arms splayed next to him as though he was giving up on, well, everything really.

We hadn’t really talked since that first day I found him here, which was about two weeks before that. I passed onto him the address of a nearby coffeeshop that my mum told me about. It had fireplace connected to the floo network and let people use it for a fee, given that they show their wand as proof that they're wizards.

There was the occasional exchange of pleasantries between Malfoy and me, but that was about it. We also couldn’t really mention Hogwarts or magic or anything what with all these muggles swarming around us, so there wasn't much for us to say to each other anyway. At first, I was slightly concerned that I had crossed a line by bringing up Jenna Finnigan and his relationship with her. But the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that I had asked a very casual question, and that his response was overly sensitive. Which kind of bothered me because I used to think he was more mature than that.

I finished my lap then went over to him. As I sat down next to him, he opened his eyes, but that was it, he barely turned to look at me.

“Malfoy, what are you doing?” I asked him as I stretched my legs out in front of me and folded forward, trying to touch my toes.

“Just trying to relax,” he mumbled. “I also think it’s going to rain in a bit, so I’m regretting getting out of bed for this.”

I looked up, and indeed, clouds were rolling in, casting alternating shady spots all over the pitch.

“Sounds like something a strong cup of coffee could fix. We could go to that place around the corner. I could use some coffee too, actually,” I suggested.

He put hand on either side of his head, and massaged his temples as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Coffee is vile. I don't drink it,” he mumbled, but then he sat up and said, “But maybe a cup of tea could help. Let's go.”

Tea? For the state he's in? What a traditionalist.

We grabbed our backpacks and headed out silently. I noticed he was still rubbing his temples vigorously as we walked. There was a bit of a stomp to his steps and he actually groaned twice during the seven-minute walk to the coffee shop.

The third groan came as we sat down at a table in the coffee shop, and against my better judgment, I asked, “Malfoy, I don't mean to pry, but are you okay?”

He didn’t get a chance to reply because just then a waiter came by to take our order. I ordered a double-shot espresso and he ordered a large cup of Earl Grey with some kind of scone, and when the waiter walked away, Scorpius folded his hands on the table in front of him and buried his head in the confines of his arms.

Although I was concerned, I didn't try to probe around anymore. I just pulled my novel out --which was Wuthering Heights, at the time-- and decided to read to pass whatever awkward experience I had just given up my workout routine for.

When the waiter returned with our drinks a few minutes later, Scorpius finally lifted his head and mumbled a polite thank you. I watched him with a frown and distaste as he dissolved two packets of sugar in his cup of tea. And I was about to return to my beautiful gothic story when, unprompted, he said, “I spent a very long portion of last night packing my things from Jen’s flat.”

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't understand how things went from his being offended by a very platonic question a few weeks ago, to his sharing this with me. So I didn't say anything.

“I moved a lot of my stuff into her place at the beginning of the summer break. What a fucking waste of time and effort. If I had only known…” he wasn't even looking at me. He was staring at his giant cup of tea, which looked more like a bowl with a handle than a mug to me, and he was still stirring it languidly. But then again, he did put two packets of sugar, do maybe it did need all the stirring..

He made a sound that I suppose was a laugh, but it sounded bitter and came out with a bit of a snort. “You know that first day we met at the pitch?” He finally looked up at me and put the spoon down, and I lowered my book away from my face and lay it down on the table, still holding it open to the page I was on. “We actually broke up that night. She left right in the middle of the fight, leaving everything unresolved and leaving me fuming. Which is why I got so… pesky when you asked. So yeah…”

The thing is, I was terrible in situations like this. Combined with my minimal experience with long term relationships, I never had any advice to offer. And the people I was close to knew that, so they never came to for advice. They knew I was a good listener, so sure, they would come talk to me about their issues, but they never actually expected any sort of substantial advice from me.

Therefore, I still had nothing to say to any of these things he was telling me. Or, to put it in better terms, I didn't know what I was supposed to say to any of that.

I guess that he thought he was making me uncomfortable, so he said, “I’m sorry I'm just springing all of this on you. I know we barely know each other, and that it's only ever been about Quidditch or school work between us. And I suppose, on some level, I did need to vent a little a bit, but mostly I just wanted to explain why I reacted like that the other day. So yeah…” he trailed off again, but then added, “I’m sorry.”

I cleared my throat gently then said, “Don’t worry about it.” I started fiddling with the napkin that was lying next to my tiny cup of coffee, folding down its edges. I then realised that this might give the impression that I was in fact uncomfortable, so I stopped. But then again, even if the conversation itself wasn't discomforting, what do you follow up a ‘conversation’ like this one with? Regardless of what he had said made me feel, the silence that followed was undeniably awkward.

I swallowed my coffee in one shot, and I saw Malfoy scrunch his nose in what I interpreted as disgust.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Do you not need something sweet to help that horrendous concoction go down?” he asked. “And you got an extra shot, no? That must be horrible.”

I ignored his criticism of coffee and retaliated with a question. “How is that that tea going for you? Did it help?”

He looked down at his cup then said, “Hmm… not really. That damn headache is still pulsating in my temples.” His free hand went up to the area in question and pressed down on it. “But it hasn't had a chance to work yet, and I still have a fair bit to drink.”

Just then, a loud chatter came from the direction of the door, and I turned around to find three guys who I recognised from the football pitch.

“Malfoy, what are you doing here so early?” One of them called out loudly before they had even reached the table.

Scorpius waited until they were standing next to our table then he said, “I was feeling a bit suffocated and needed to get out of the house, so…”

Their attention then turned from Scorpius to me, then they looked at the space between the two of us.

“Oh, this is Rose. You guys must've seen her around the pitch,” Scorpius said. “We know each other from school,” he added.

“You're the one who’s always reading on the sidelines,” one of the guys said as he grabbed a chair from the table next to us and sat next to Scorpius. Then the two other guys followed his motion.

“Yep, that’s me,” I said with a nod.

“It's nice to put a name to that hair,” he said with a snigger.

Although I couldn't tell if it was mockery or a compliment, I smiled anyway and my hand subconsciously went up to my hair, patting it down.

“I'm Charles, by the way,” he informed me.

I took a moment to size Charles up. I could tell from the outlines of his biceps through his sleeves that he was fairly bulked up, and if I had to guess, I would have said he was at less six feet tall. He seemed like a typical loud sport fanatic.

He motioned for a waiter to come take their order, and then pushed his wet dark hair away from his face.

“Rose, this is Sam, he’s Charles’s brother,” Scorpius said as he nodded in the direction of boy who seemed much younger than the rest of them. Or perhaps it was because he had no stubble or a beard and the other three boys table did? Scorpius then moved on to introduce me to the guy closest to me, “And this is Alfred.”

“Hey,” I managed to say before the waiter arrived to take the new order. He suggested that we move to a bigger table, but Charles brushed him off, speaking for all of us and saying that ‘we're fine where we are’.

“You look athletic. What do you play?” Charles asked and looked at me, and I could tell that he was sizing me up.

His gaze made me shift in my seat every so slightly, crossing one leg over the other and my arms across my chest. Quidditch was on the tip of my tongue, but I caught myself and said, “Erm… nothing in particular. I just run, ride my bike, go to the gym. I exercise with the girls at the pitch sometimes.” I regretted bringing up the gym because if he asked me any details, I wouldn't have been able to elaborate.

“Do you like football?” Charles asked again.

“I'm afraid not,” I responded, shaking my head slightly.

“Why are you always hanging around the pitch then? Are you with one of the guys?”

“Erm, no, it's just a decent reading spot. When there's no proper matches with an audience. And when the weather is nice,” I explained. I wanted to add that the boys were a good view, but that would’ve been a blatant lie in my case.

“How about you take it a bit easy on her, Charles? It's coming off like an inquisition,” Sam interjected.

“Charles is very passionate about football. He thinks the world revolves around it and the people who play it,” Alfred clarified.

“Don't make excuses on my behalf when I'm here. I can very well speak for myself,” Charles roared then laughed as he clapped his brother on the back. “It's true though. They're absolutely right.”

Charles quickly moved onto discussing strategies for their next game. Soon enough, the technical terms began to evade me, and I decided that it wasn't going to come off as rude if I dived back into my book. A few minutes later, the waiter came back with their food and drinks, and he interrupted their intense conversation, which included scribbling with their fingers on the table between two napkins that represented the goal posts. All the talk about strategy and positions made me wish I could just head out right now and play Quidditch. I had missed the thrill of competition.

They all calmed down a bit as they began to consume their orders. Alfred was midway through demolishing a giant piece of carrot cake when he asked me, “Do you like reading classics?”

I lowered my book down and looked to him as I said, “This is only my fifth one, but I do like them very much.” I paused for a moment then I continued, “Except for this one called…. I think it’s called David Copperfield. Or the author is called David Copperfield, I can't really remember.”

He nodded then said, “David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. He really isn't everyone’s cup of tea.”

“Do you like him?” I asked.

“I do. I still have a few more of his novels to read,” he said to me. Something that the guys were saying seemed to catch his attention because he glanced in their direction for a moment before he said, “I’ll let you continue reading in peace.”

I gave him a nod and did go back to my book, only putting it down when I realised we were about to pay and leave.

On our way out, Alfred said to me as he held the door for us to get through, “Hey, I know a really nice secondhand bookshop. We can go by some time if you're interested.”

“That would actually be great. I'm up for that,” I replied. I made a mental note to make a list of all Mum’s books when I got home so that I wouldn't have any duplicates.

“How does Saturday work for you?” he asked as we began to make our way back towards the pitch.

“I think it works fine. But let me confirm with you on Thursday?”

“Yeah alright. We can settle the details then,” he said and ran a hand through his brown curls.

And it wasn't until I was on the way home, racing on my bike through the drizzle, that I realised that I may have been asked out on a date.


	3. All the Quidditch Buffs

“Did you try on the helmet this morning?” Dad asked me as he handed me the backpack that had all my Quidditch things.

We made it early to the platform, and I couldn't see anyone I recognised. I took the backpack from my father and put it on as I said, “Yes, it fits so much better now! I'm not sure what I was doing wrong.”

“You need to work on your charms. Especially the every-day ones; they'll make your life so much easier. You don't see it now because you've just started using magic outside Hogwarts,” he told me.

I sighed, “I know, I know. I promise I'll try. I'll ask Albus for help.”

“Will you be back in time for the Cannons-Puddlemere match? When does this thing end exactly?” he asked me.

‘This thing’ was Quidditch camp, which I had been going to since the summer after second year. This year, I was going as a volunteer which meant I was helping with setting up the camp, keeping things in order, supervising the kids, refereeing games, and so on. 

I was beyond thrilled. 

I watched my dad pull out a piece of parchment from the pocket of his robes. I could see he had a bunch of dates scrawled onto it. First, I wondered if they were in any particular order, then I imagined my mum’s disapproving head shake at Dad’s method of keeping track of things. The dynamic between the two of them had always amused and bewildered me.

“When’s the match?” I asked and peered at the parchment he was holding, trying to make any sense of it. 

“29th of August; it’s going to be our only chance to do something together this summer,” he told me and tucked the parchment back into his pocket.

“I’m coming back on the 10th, so I reckon we’ll have time to do a couple of other things if we want to,” I said with a shrug. 

“Alright, we’ll see about that.” He then sighed and added, “The most important thing is that if you end up playing any games against James, you kick his arse, understood?” 

“What about Lily? She’s volunteering this year too,” I asked with a frown, perplexed as to why he had singled James out.

“Well, if you get a chance to beat her, sure, it wouldn’t hurt. But it isn’t necessary. Lily doesn’t go around claiming she’s the best Quidditch player this family has ever brought around. We can’t let your Aunt Ginny take too much pride in that like it’s some fact,” he explained, sounding rather serious. 

“Okay, I’m not saying James is a better player than I am. But let’s say he is… Isn’t it enough that I am a very solid Quidditch player and much better academically than he is?” I asked, holding my hands out in front of me, and my dad titled his head to one side, pondering it over. “Also, I’m quite gutted. I thought Aunt Ginny took a lot of pride in and felt responsible for my interest in Quidditch.”

He nodded and said, “She does, she does. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t think James is the best out of you lot.”

Aunt Ginny could have claimed whatever she wanted, but the person responsible for my passion for Quidditch was my dad. With his work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he was always some place or another to organise, supervise, or even just attend as a guest of honour. And once I was old enough and he trusted me to behave, he started letting me accompany him. That was how it all began for me. 

I frowned and shook my head, critical more than confused as I asked, “What I want to know is: at which point of family dinners do you lot start comparing us and pitting us against each other?” 

Dad pursed his lips for a moment before he said, “We don’t do that at family gatherings. We do it when we meet up and there’s a lot of drinking involved.”

“Interesting. I mean, it’s horrible, but also interesting. I’m glad you finally think I’m old enough to hear about this,” I said sarcastically then chuckled a little bit. “So am I getting invited to one of those any time soon?” 

“I’m afraid never, sweetheart, but I can take you out for a drink --and one drink only-- now that you’ve turned seventeen,” he said. 

“Well, I’m going to hold you to that, so you go ahead and add that to your list then,” I replied with a grin. “And I do admire that you think I haven’t been out drinking before. Your faith in me is very flattering, Dad.” 

Dad narrowed his eyes at me, scrutinizing me, and I responded with a smile and raised my eyebrows at him challengingly, hoping I looked coy and elusive. 

“Nah, you're just saying this to get a rise out of me,,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If you’re doing it responsibly and occasionally, I don’t need to know the details.”

“Wow, Dad, that’s a very mature reaction. I was definitely not expecting that,” I said and then began to laugh, in awe of how much my dad trusted me. 

“What? I believe you’re too smart to drink recklessly and too stubborn to do it because of peer pressure. You’re just trying to ruffle my feathers,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

I refused to let anything on, knowing that the thought would haunt him for days before he would manage to let it go.

“Isn’t that the Malfoys?” my Dad asked. “You know what? You beat Malfoy’s arse too when you get the chance. Forget about James, this should be your priority.”

They were still rather far from where we were sitting, but it was indeed Scorpius and his father. You couldn’t mistake the silver blonde hair for anyone else’s.

“Dad, we’re in the same house, we play together for Ravenclaw. We've never played against each other at camp,,” I explained to my dad, amused by how disappointed he looked as he sighed.

“Are you at least doing better than him at school?” 

I pursed my lips in thought for a moment then replied, “Erm… I’m not sure. I mean, he is pretty good. But I’m definitely better than him at Herbology.”

“You’re better than everyone with Herbology. It doesn’t count,” he said as shook his head, still rather bummed out. 

By then, the Malfoys were within earshot, so we got up to greet them. 

“Hey there, Malfoy,” I said to him. His father was a few steps behind, and he went straight ahead to talk to mine. 

“Hey, Weasley. Haven’t seen you around in a couple of weeks,” Scorpius said and I saw him glance at our fathers for a moment. 

“I was spending some time with the Potters. Albus wanted compensation for all the time we’d be at the camp without him,” I explained. 

“Ah, some of the girls were worried about you since you just kind of disappeared without warning. And Alfred was feeling responsible for your disappearance. He thought you were avoiding him.” he told me. This time, I was the one who glanced at our fathers who seemed to be struggling to find anything to say to each other. 

“Oh, don’t remind me of Alfred. Agreeing to go out with him was a big mistake,” I covered my face with my hands briefly. “Ugh, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t have gotten involved in anything of the sort when I only had one more week in London.”

Scorpius shrugged then said, “It’s none of my business, Weasley. I don't care.” 

Even though he was trying to brush it off nonchalantly and like he didn’t give a damn, I could tell that he was judging me. I had to bite my tongue to not start justifying my actions to him. And I suppose that was obvious because Malfoy then said,   
“It’s okay, Weasley. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Like I said, it's none of my business, and I shouldn’t have brought it up anyway,” he said. 

I bit my lip down for a moment and looked at my Dad who was now looking down at his shoes as Mr. Malfoy stood silently next to him. “Should we rescue them?” I asked Scorpius and tilted my head in their direction. “I think we should.”

“Although I would thoroughly enjoy testing how long they’d last, I do think we should,” he agreed with a nod. 

A few minutes later, the Potters and Teddy finally showed up and with an unexpected companion.

“Mum, I didn’t think you'd make it!” I gave her a hug as I had not seen her in a week. My mum, Hermione Weasley was not only well-known for the part she played during the Second Wizarding War, but also for her work with reforming laws across the Wizarding World over the past decade. And I was her biggest supporter politically, even when we didn’t see eye-to-eye as mother and daughter sometimes. 

“I made them start the meeting an hour earlier than planned, unreasonable as it may have been. I thought I’d come check on you before you leave, especially since I haven’t managed to see a whole lot of you this summer. And since I might not be able to see you off to Hogwarts this year.. ” she said, and then she began to try to fix my hair, tucking all the loose strands behind my ears. 

“Mum…” I whined as I tried to squirm out of her grip until she gave in. “I’m sorry I was kind of distant this summer. But if it’s any consolation, I’m probably staying at home with you for a long time after graduation to make up for that.” 

I knew for a fact that it didn’t make up for it at all. If anything, Mum was bothered by my lack of solid plans after graduation. My mum just smiled at me, confirming my suspicions. “Are you sure you’re okay? Are you eating well?” 

“I… I am,” I said slowly as a frown formed on my face. I started chewing on the inside of my cheeks then stopped to ask, “Why?”

“I can always tell,” Mum said with a nod.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” I started to twirl a strand of hair around my index finger. So this was why she came. 

“I thought I should give you some space to try and find a balance by yourself,” she explained and then she gently swatted my hand away from my hair. 

“Well, I’ve been eating really well the past couple of weeks at the Potter’s, but only because Albus was hounding me. But I think it’s improved my appetite a bit,” I told her honestly and tucked my hands in the pockets of my jeans. 

“That’s good, I’m glad to hear that.”

“And don’t worry. Sana is going to be at camp and I’m sure Albus has told her to keep an eye on me,” I elaborated, just to reassure her. 

Sana Wood was my best friend from Hogwarts, even though she was a Gryffindor and a year ahead of me. I looked around the platform, trying to locate her but couldn’t. Where the hell was she? She had said she was coming!

 

I managed to spot Lily talking to Scorpius, Uncle Harry talking to Mr. Malfoy, and my dad and Aunt Ginny in what seemed to be a heated conversation as they both gesticulated all over the place. But Sana was nowhere to be seen. 

“Write to me if it ever gets overwhelming, and we’ll work through things together, alright?” 

I nodded as my mum gripped my shoulders reassuringly. Lily came over with Malfoy and said, “Teddy says we should be getting on the train now. Let’s go?”

We said our goodbyes and boarded the train with a dozen other people. “Everybody sit in this compartment because we’re starting out with a little meeting, and then you lot are free to do whatever you want, alright?” Teddy shouted over the loud whistle of the train as it began to move. 

“There’s no way we’ll all fit in one!” Cecily Finnigan pointed out and she claimed the first seat next to the window.

Malfoy and I haphazardly threw our trunks and brooms into the compartment across the aisle and rushed over to snag a seating spot.

“It’s okay if we’re a bit cramped. It’s only going to take a few minutes,” Teddy said, he and James standing outside the compartment as the remaining eleven of us made a considerable amount of noise as we began to fill the small space. 

Lily was in a fit of laughs over something Andrew Thomas had said and she proceeded to sit on my lap. 

“If we have Wood on our team, regardless who is on the other team, we’ll have a really good shot at this,” Scorpius said to me as he sat down next to us. 

“Yeah, but if we don’t, we’re pretty much screwed, no?” 

Scorpius shrugged. 

“Alright everyone, let’s get started. I’m sure you are all familiar with most of what we’re going to tell you, but we still have to go over it anyway. I’m Teddy Lupin and this here is James Potter, and we’re both in supervising you lot this year. Sana Wood is also a supervisor, but she will meet us when we get there. As you all know, this week, you will be divided into two teams and start practicing together for the opening match which will be held next Sunday when all the camp participants arrive,” Teddy explained. 

“Beside practising for the game, we will start setting up, coming up with ice-breakers for the first day, and with games to teach the participants all the different Quidditch skills, dividing them into different groups. This year, there is also a compulsory 3-hour first aid course for all of us, just in case of emergencies…”

Cecily’s hand popped up, and when James nodded at her, she said, “Aren’t there professional healers at the camp. Why do we have to learn this stuff?”

“There are healers and they’re always present during the matches. But this isn’t just about sport injuries. Each pair of you is going to share a cabin with a group of the participants, so if at any point of the day anything happens, you’d be capable of managing the situation properly until the healer comes to you and takes it on from there,” Teddy said. “Any other questions?” 

“Alright. Now to what you’re all waiting for,” James said when no one responded, and Teddy slipped a sealed envelope out of his pocket. “The teams, everyone. And just so you all know, whichever team I’m on is winning. So cross all your fingers.”

Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m related to that mammoth of an ego,” she mumbled. 

“Alright, on my team, we’ve got: Andrew Thomas as beater, Selene Renley as beater, Scorpius Malfoy as seeker, Rory Gillian as chaser, Carina Nott as chaser, and Rose Weasley as keeper,” Teddy announced, nodding at each of us as he read our names out. 

James grabbed the paper from Teddy and said, “With me on the team is: Lily Potter as seeker, Leon Tarquin as a chaser, Cecily Finnigan as Chaser , Joshua Andrews as keeper, Alice Berklee and Alice Longbottom as beaters. GO TEAM!” he pumped his fist up in the air. 

Everyone started chattering and a hum of excitement was taking over the compartment. I asked loudly over the noise, leaning forward so that Lily wouldn’t be concealing me, “Hey, Teddy, which team is Sana on?” 

“I don’t think she’s playing this summer!” Teddy had to shout over everyone so I could hear him. “You lot can disperse now. If we think of anything else we need to to tell you, we’ll figure something out.” 

“That’s odd,” I said to Scorpius. 

“As long as we’re not playing against her…” Scorpius shrugged nonchalantly as he got up, seeming quite relieved by the news. 

And he was right. No one would ever dream of playing against Sana Wood.


	4. Wicklow Quidditch Camp

The opening game was one of the most important traditions at Camp Wicklow, as it was a direct reflection of the establishment. To volunteer, one must have participated in the camp for at least three summers, and then everyone would spend a week practising vigorously together as a team. The opening game was held on the day all the campers arrived, and it served to show them what they could aspire to be if they were really dedicated and gave it their all during the following three weeks. 

It was even better than the games at Hogwarts because those who were chosen among all those who applied to volunteer were the absolute best. Which is why it was a great honour to have been able to participate at all, and I why I was beyond excited about it. Aside, of course, from the fact that I was suffering from severe case of Quidditch withdrawal.

We arrived to Wicklow, Ireland at two in the afternoon, and we had the rest of the day to ourselves. On the walk from the train station to the camp, everyone was discussing what we were going to do. 

“We’re in Ireland. I say we just leave everyone who’s underage behind and go peruse pubs,” James suggested, leading the way. 

“If we’re taking them out of camp grounds, we’re not allowed to drink because we have to keep an eye on them,” Teddy informed him. “We should just leave them all behind and head out with Sana.” 

James clapped Teddy on the shoulder and said, “I’ve never admired you more in my life!”

We ended up spending the day out on Wicklow beach, which was something we never got to do when we were participating as campers. And it was absolutely stunning! Because it was out of the camp site, we were surrounded by muggles and that made us feel slightly limited. But that didn’t bother me one bit because while the rest of them socialised and danced and went swimming, I drenched myself in lotion to keep my skin from burning and stuck my nose in a book. Thanks to my wonderful redheaded genes, I didn’t fare very well when the sun and salty water teamed up against my skin. 

Only when the sun started going down did I look up from my book and decided to join the others. But by the time I had made that decision, they were forming a circle to play truth or dare, and knowing how the game goes, I was not up for casual physical contact. 

“Come on, Rosie, it’s gonna be fun!” Lily shouted even though she was sitting a few centimeters away from where I was standing and she grabbed my hand. 

“Erm.. I’d really rather get some time by the water now that there isn’t as much sun,” I told her and glanced in the direction of the water, which looked like liquid gold, rippling under the setting sun. 

Lily gave me an understanding nod as the breeze blew her damp brown hair everywhere. 

I didn’t even actually get in the water. Instead, I sat down on the sand, stretched my legs, and let the water hit me in waves as I stared into the sunset. Even though I could hear the rest of them giggling and shouting enthusiastically in the background, the feeling of peace that enveloped me was scintillating. 

A few minutes had passed, I’m not entirely sure how many, when a voice behind me asked, “May I join you?” 

I looked up to find Scorpius, hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Sure,” I said with a nod.

“It’s getting a bit ridiculous over there. Your cousin is having a fit because his sister just had to kiss a girl. But I have a feeling he would’ve done the same if it had been a boy,” Scorpius said. 

I chuckled a little and shook my head slightly, “Typical James. I’m surprised he even let her play in the first place.”

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed between us before he asked me, “Are you okay? You’ve been really quiet and sitting alone since we’ve gotten off the train.”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to chill and get some peace of mind. And I really love it out here, so I’m trying to soak it all in while I can,” I said. 

“Not a big people person, are you?” 

I looked at him to find him drawing random lines with his fingers in the damp sand, the action seemed subconscious, like some sort of fidgeting.

“Unless it’s a group sport, not really, no,” I responded with a shrug. 

“Speaking of which, you’re trying out for the team this year, right?” 

I frowned at him and asked, “Of course, I am. What would make you think I wouldn’t?” 

“Well, you turned down the opportunity to be team captain, so I thought…” It was his turn to shrug. 

“I turned down the chance be captain because I didn’t want that sort of responsibility, not because I don’t want to be on the team anymore,” I explained defensively. Why was he making conjectures about me anyway when he barely knew me? Of course, he had come to the wrong conclusions. 

“I have been slowly realising just how big of a responsibility it is going to be, and it’s already starting to stress me out,” he let out a sigh which sounded strained. “Oh, wipe that smug smile off your face,” he said as he rolled his eyes at me. 

I hadn’t even realised I was smiling in that manner. But at that moment, I was indeed praising myself for having made the decision of foregoing captaincy. 

“Instead of being smug, you should be helping me come up with strategies and a wishlist of people we want on the team. I mean, you were Jen’s first choice. Surely she saw something in you.”

I snorted out a little laugh and said, “Malfoy, we don’t even know if I’m making it onto the team!” 

“So if you’re not on the team, you wouldn’t do it just for the sake of the house?” he asked me, eyebrows raised challengingly. “Besides, if someone else does get the keeper’s spot, I can just put you as a reserve, and you can help me strategise.”

“I’m not going to be a reserve and put in tens of hours of practice every week so that perhaps, in the rare occasion that something horrible happens to our keeper, I might just get to play. No thanks. The only other position I might accept on the team is the seeker’s, so unless you’re planning on leave the team…” 

“You’re a good seeker?” he asked. I was baffled that this was what he latched onto out of everything I had said. 

“Not as good as I am a keeper, but I’m decent enough,” I said. “Definitely not as good as you, anyway,” I admitted in afterthought. I was surprised that a reluctant nod seemed to be his only response, and I wondered if Scorpius Malfoy couldn’t handle compliments well. “You know, I actually tried out for the seeker position back in third year. But that was the year you tried out too, so... you got it.” 

His face seemed to crumple up into a frown and then straighten out as he came to a realisation. “Hold on a second! Third year was the year where every time we got paired up for Potions, we messed up. Were you sabotaging us because you were jealous I got the position?” 

“What?! Of course not! I’m not stupid enough to sabotage myself. What was I getting out of doing that?” I told him. Then I tilted my head to one side in contemplation, making my hair block my vision in the process. I pushed the hair away from my face then said, “Now that I think about it though, I was quite cross every time we got paired up, so I was a little bit distracted by some envy; I will admit that. But it wasn’t intentional, I promise.” I held both my hands up defensively. 

“I’ll believe that,” he said with a nod. “But only because I want you to wake up six tomorrow morning.” He said the sentence very quickly as if he was ashamed to say it. And he should have been! Six in the morning? Whyever the hell?

“Erm… I’m going to play along and ask why,” I told him and folded my arms across my chest. 

“I have this idea for an exercise that might up our defense... If you do make it onto the team. And if it works, it can actually help us in the opening match. Are you game?” he seemed very hopeful but also wrought out with nerves as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at me.

I pretended to think about it for a few moments just to tease him, then I said, “Yeah okay. I’m game.. May I ask what exactly do you have in mind?” 

“I’d rather just show you tomorrow because I still don’t even know if it’ll work. So we’ll be figuring it out as we go.”

I wasn’t sure if he wasn’t telling me because it was indeed complex and he didn’t know how to explain it to me, or if he was just being cryptic so that I would actually wake up at that ungodly hour just because I was curious about it.

So I just rolled my eyes at him and chuckled as I turned to look at the sea. It was dark by then, and I could only see the frothy ripples of water as they approached to crash around us.

“What?” 

“Nothing. It’s just that…” I held out one hand as I said, “On one hand, I’m impressed that you’re already starting to think about what you’re going to do for the team and coming up with ways to improve our skills.” I then held out my other hand and continued, “On the other hand, I can tell that you’re quite nervous about it all, and it kind of reassures me that I’ve made the right decision.”

“So you’re revelling in my misery? That’s brutally honest. And inconsiderate.”

I shrugged and said, “Heh, you asked. Besides, don’t listen to me. I’m just terrified by the amount of things I have to balance next year. And we’re going to help you with the team if we start feeling as though you’re sinking the ship.”

“Gee, thanks,” he said sarcastically and rolled his eyes. 

“Oi, you better be sincere, Malfoy... I’m dragging my arse out of bed two hours earlier than necessary for you.”

“I’ll do anything you want if you make it work tomorrow,” he said.

“Hmm… I’ll have to come up with something creative for that.” I bit my lip down in thought, wondering what I could possibly want from Scorpius Malfoy. 

 

The next morning I lay down on the grass in the pitch as Scorpius sat cross-legged nearby, fiddling with a tennis ball and casting spells on it. 

“Explain to me what I had to wake up at six for again,” I said with a groan as I rolled over to lie down on my side and shut my eyes. 

“Sorry, I forgot to take this into account. But I’m almost done, I promise. Just a couple of more charms on this one, and one on the baseball, and we’re good to go,” I heard him say. 

I groaned again just to demonstrate how frustrated I was and opened my eyes then said, “Can you at least start explaining to me what we’re going to do? Just so it doesn’t feel like I got up this early for nothing.” Partly, I was actually curious, but partly, I wanted him feel bad about waking me up early. 

“Alright, so my theory is that, if you can learn to catch these smaller balls, which with the right charms will travel faster than a Quaffle because they’re lighter, you’ll probably miss less Quaffles. They will literally be harder to miss because you’ve gotten used to catching smaller, faster balls,” he explained, never taking his eyes off the work he was doing. He murmured a few spells before he added, “I got the idea that first day we met at the football pitch, when you caught that ball so effortlessly.”

Finding the concept interesting, I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. “Yes, but that was similar in size to a Quaffle and it wasn’t traveling at a high speed.”

“I know. But it came at you out of the blue and you still managed to catch it on pure good instinct. Imagine if we can train that,” he told me. He stood up, cradling two yellow balls and two white ones.   
“Come on, we’re ready.”

“Speak for yourself,” I grumbled as I stood up and dragged my broom with me. 

“Weasley, why do you look so dreadful? I thought you’d be more excited about this.”

I got on my broom and shouted as I began to float away from him, "I need coffee!" I took a quick lap around the pitch, finding flying against the breeze refreshing. Granted, it was not as refreshing as coffee, but after a month of not having flown at all, it was invigorating to a satisfactory degree. "Do you want me at the rings?"

"Yes!" He said and I watched him ascend onhis broom. He then pointed his wand at the balls that were on the ground, and immediately, one of the yellow balls came soaring towards my head. I tried to swat it away with my fist the way I would a Quaffle, but it was too small and my hand only caught thin air. Before I had time to recover my position, the white ball was coming in my direction, and I failed to catch that one too. 

 

We went on like this for almost an hour until I was flushed and sweating, and my hair was escaping the tight bun I had designated for it that morning. I’m not sure how I didn’t just dismiss this exercise as a failure and gave up in disappointment midway through it. I suppose I just wanted to catch one, even if was just by some stroke of luck. 

Scorpius finally cast a spell that made the balls remain on the ground and he flew towards me. "So what do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know, Malfoy. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And I still am not sure how or if it'll have any effect on my performance with Quaffles," I responded honestly and proceeded to push the hair away from face. 

"You caught four balls in the final five minutes. And they were the only ones you caught. That means you're already making progress," he pointed out. "Would you like to try again tonight?"

If I hadn't been frustrated by the fact that I had only managed to block four balls in an entire hour, I would have said no. Sana was supposed to be arriving that same morning and I wanted to spend some time with her. But I wasn’t one to turn down such an interesting challenge. 

"If we play later tonight, do we still have to do this tomorrow morning?" I asked. Unless he was going to bring me coffee every morning, I was not going to get out of bed a minute before eight when breakfast began.

Scorpius shrugged. "We can always practice at night if you prefer that."

I considered it for a moment then decided, "Yes, I think nights would work better."

"Alright then, nights it is," he conceded with a nod. 

 

I quickly fell into a routine, and while I was passionate about the game, it was hard to practise for six to eight hours every day and not burn out. Which is why I made self-care a priority and made sure to take naps, eat well, and take long walks alone. After all, if Quidditch was exhausting, then having to interact with people on a daily basis was deadly.

I woke up one evening from a nap to someone sitting on the edge of my bed and saying "We need to do something about all of this hair. Is it not time for a haircut?” 

I stirred in bed but struggled to open my eyelids. After having been on a broom for the majority of the week, my muscles were stiff and aching. Between that and my lethargy, I barely stirred in the bed. My wild, rough hair was sticking to my face from the humidity, but I didn’t care. I was too knackered to bother. 

 

"I'm not letting you cut my hair again." I didn't need to open my eyes to know that it was Sana. "How long do we have till dinner?"

"Umm... a little over an hour," she replied. I felt her move around and soon, her elbow was plunging into my ribs. "Scoot over, Weasley. You're hogging the bed."

"It is my bed," I mumbled into the pillow as I moved ever so slightly to make space for her anyway.

Once she had settled in the bed, she draped an arm over my back, and I began to sink back into comfortable sleep, thankful that she hadn't really woken me up. 

"Rose," a seemingly distant voice said as something poked my shoulder. I groaned and rolled over in bed. "Rose, we're gonna miss dinner."

"You go. I can't get out of bed. Too tired," I said and pulled the sheets over my head.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I received very strict instructions from Albus about this," she told me and sat down on the bed. 

Wet droplets hit my face, and I opened my eyes to find her combing her long wet chestnut brown hair. She was intentionally splattering water all over my face. "Come on. Get up. And the food thing aside, I'm very offended that my company isn't enough of a reason for you to get out bed. Especially after I've cuddled with you!" She pointed at me accusingly with her comb.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and sat up. Camp always reminded me of how lucky it was that Sana and I didn't have a chance to share a dorm at Hogwarts. It would have wrecked this friendship. "I didn't ask for any cuddling."

"You should've pushed me away then."

"I will next time. Promise," I said over my shoulder as I went into the bathroom. When I came back out, I put on my shoes and said, “Alright then, let's go.”

“You're heading out like this?” Sana quirked an eyebrow at me. 

I looked down at my clothes, my yellow tank top and black leggings. I looked fine. I had even gone to breakfast like this.

“I'm not talking about your clothes; I'm talking about your bed hair,” she said with a roll of her eyes, in attempt to emphasize how clueless I was. “Come,” she ordered me as she patted the spot in front of her on the bed.

I let her work her charms on my hair; it was something I was used to. And to be fair, I was going to suffer a lot because of my hair now that Sana wasn't going to be at school. That was the smallest of my losses though.of

“I asked your dad about you when you didn't show up the first day, and he said that you were finalizing a deal with a team,” I told her and tried to crane my neck to look at her, but she pushed my head so that I was looking straight ahead again. “Is it done?”

“It is. Your hair is currently getting done by the Holyhead Harpies newest beater,” she said, sounding cheerful.

I tried to turn around again to offer her a congratulatory smile, but she hissed at me, “Stop moving your head, Rose.”

“Okay, okay,” I obeyed and sighed. “I'm so proud of you, and I can't wait to come watch you play. You're going to kick arse.”

“Honestly, I’m so nervous. I’m gonna get to play with people I've been idolising the past couple of years. It is nerve-wracking,” she confessed.

“Oi, don't get all self-conscious now. This has been your dream as long as I've known you. Your skills are legendary, you're the daughter of a Quidditch legend. I’m sure you’ll do great,” I reassured her. 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe,” she said. “Hey, why don't you come with me to practise next week? You can take the day off.”

“Are you allowed to bring someone along? And will I be able to leave camp?” I asked, wanting to turn around to look at her but restraining myself.

“I am allowed to do it, occasionally. And Dad loves you! I'm sure he won't mind giving you a couple of hours off to come with me. Or at least I hope so. He can be awfully strict and righteous sometimes,” she said. 

Mr. Wood was the owner and manager of Camp Wicklow which he had initially started as a small, fun project for his kids and their friends in the summer. He then, eventually, developed it into a proper business which gained more popularity than he had ever imagined it would. 

A few minutes later, Sana squeezed my shoulder lightly and said, “Okay, we’re all done here.”

I got up and looked in the mirror to see a delicate braid running on the side of my head, and then I trailed my hand down the tight braid that dangled down the back of my neck. 

“Who’s gonna do my hair for me at school this year?” I asked with a pout as she came to stand beside me, towering over me by at least fifteen centimeters.

“Hey, save the sentimentality for later at night when we have drinks to blame being overly emotional and vulnerable on,” she said. “Also, I've offered to teach you literally a hundred times.” She put a hand on either of my shoulders and began to push me towards the door.

“I’m going, woman, what are you shoving me for?” I tried to elbow her in the belly but she evaded it.

“I'm starving and I don't trust you to go fast enough,” she said but let go of me anyway. 

“In such situations, I would normally suggest a race. But I stand no chance against your freakishly long legs,” I said. 

“It's good that you’re aware of your natural limits, love,” she with a satisfied smile and patted me on the head as was her habit.


	5. Waning Summer

Summer was melting away and I barely had time to sit by myself and think, let alone read or take a long bath. We helped train the participants for an average of six hours everyday. Some of us went running together so that we were doing something for ourselves and soaking up the the beauty of nature out in Wicklow. And on top of all of that, I had training with Scorpius and even with Sana and Mr. Wood some days. I could not have possibly been at a better state, whether mentally or otherwise even though I barely had time to breathe. 

“Hey, since we couldn't manage taking you to practise the past couple of weeks, would you like to come with me to a press conference tomorrow? It's gonna be in the evening so practise will be done, and I've already gotten the all clear from Dad,” Sana said. 

We had just finished dinner and she suggested that we take a walk, deciding that she has had enough of people and gave me no choice but to tag along. The further we got away from the cabins, the darker it got, and at some point, we had to pull out our wands to light the way. I kept looking up at the canopy of trees that I could only barely see, wondering nervously if bats were hanging above our heads. But I must admit that it was nice to not be able to hear the continuous drone of the chatter between the kids. 

“Well, sure, since you've already taken care of everything,” I said. “Do I have to wear something fancy?”

She pursed her lips for a moment then said, “Not fancy per se, but nice. Do you have a sundress or some sort of maxi dress with you?”

“I do.”

“Okay, great! Lily said she can do my hair since I can't do the complex things I do for you on myself. Not as well anyway, and especially when my hair is this long,” she told me and grabbed the tip of her braid which dangled down past her shoulder and all the way down to her hip bone. “Hey, maybe you should let Lily do your hair at school. If she is as good as she claims to be.”

I confirmed with a nod, “She is.”

I saw a smile dance on her face as she said, “Well, that's one less thing for me to worry about.”

A sombre silence seemed to dawn on us as we proceeded to do exactly what we kept telling ourselves we wouldn’t do: reflecting on all the things we won’t have in each others’ absence over the following year. And while my raging hair was indeed one less thing for her to worry about, it also was the last thing she had to worry about anyway. But we refused to divulge into the other, more serious things so that we wouldn’t dampen the mood. We had agreed to leave that until the very end. 

We eventually reached the destination Sana had in mind: Lake Glendalough. As we neared the edge of the thick woods that separated the cabins from the lake, Sana asked, “Fancy a night swim?”

She didn’t even wait for my answer before she started slipping out of her long print skirt and her white crop top, throwing them hastily on the ground. I took off my sandals and left them next to her clothes. 

“Erm…” I hesitated as I followed her to the edge of the water, trying to evade the rocks. 

“What? We always talked about doing this when we were younger, but you were always worried about breaking the rules. What is it now?” she put a hand on her hip and fixated me with a look, as though she was trying to see through me. She was standing in her underwear, the moonlight bouncing off the muscles in her abdomen, accentuating them. 

“I don’t feel like it,” I mumbled, and began to dig into the sand with my toes. 

“Rose…” she said but then paused for a moment before she asked, “Are you… are you self-conscious about your body around me?”

I knew that I could have swum in my clothes if I wanted to, but I knew Sana would grill me about it had I done that.. But there we were anyway. What she said had very little to do with what I had offered as an excuse. Jumping to that conclusion meant that she had been worrying and sitting on this question for a while. 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” I asked, getting defensive. 

“It’s got to do with the fact that you’ve just lost interest in swimming two years ago. Coincidentally at the same time you started developing issues with your body.”

“I…” I didn’t know what I wanted to say. What was there to say anyway? She was right. I just shook my head and sighed and looked at the ground. 

“Rose, love,” she said as she approached me and gripped my elbow tenderly. “I just don’t want this to make you stop doing things you enjoy or stop you from doing things you’ve always wanted to do.”

I took a deep breath and slowly released it. I finally looked up at her and said, “Alright. Okay. I’ll do this.” 

“Yay,” she squeaked before starting to waddle towards the water. 

I considered going in fully clothed , but I also wanted to give Sana one less thing to worry about. I took off my shirt and tossed it, hoping it would land close enough to Sana’s pile of clothes. I decided to keep my high-waisted shorts on and followed her into the water. 

“Well, it’s definitely warmer than I thought it would be,” I told her when the water was still only up to my waist. 

“It would’ve been even better last week when the weather was still warm at night, but stupid Quidditch practise got in the way,” she grumbled. 

I sighed and decided to float on my back and just watch the starry sky. Soon enough, Sana followed my motion and she joined hands with me so that we wouldn’t float apart. The flow of the water was gentle and we could barely feel that we were moving. But there was something pacifying about holding my body very still while being in motion by some force other than my own. There wasn’t any source of light other than the moon, and the deep blue sky was speckled with more stars than I could count. Not that it stopped me from attempting to anyway. On either side of the lake, I could see the outlines of the mountains that bordered the area. 

“How long have you wanted to ask me about this?” I finally managed to ask. 

“Since forever, really. But it’s been burning in the back of my head since last weekend when we went to the beach, and you just sat there under an umbrella all day, doing absolutely nothing, and using that petty excuse about being a redhead that --”

“I am a redhead and I do burn easily,” I pointed out.

“Oh, please. So is Lily,” she said, and I could tell she was rolling her eyes, even though I couldn’t see her.

“I would say she’s more of a brunette than--”

“Weasley. She’s a redhead, and she blisters like a fucking marshmallow at a bonfire, and she doesn’t let it stop her from swimming and getting a tan because she knows she’s a witch who has access to potions and plants and salves that would remedy any damage overnight,” Sana spat out at me, barely breathing between words. 

“Wow, you’ve really been holding onto this for a while, haven’t you?” 

“Yeah well, I worry. I’m sorry I can’t help it,” she said. 

“But I’ve been doing better since we came here. Between all the compulsory exercise we have to do and you shoving food onto my plate, I--”

“I wouldn’t call a bowl of fruit salad at breakfast, a smoothie at lunch, and a baked potato at dinner ‘shoving’,” she said. “I could tell right away that what you’re eating is not enough when you take into consideration how much you exercise. And sure, that could make you lose weight or whatever, but if you go on like that long enough, at some point, you won’t be able to perform as well. You’ll have worn your body out.”

“And you know all this from your two weeks long experience as a professional Quidditch player?” I asked with a chuckle. 

She let go of my hand and gave me a shove, making me lose my balance. I soon found out that we were in a rather deep spot and that my feet couldn’t touch the ground. I splashed water in her direction, but she continued to float away from me, unperturbed. 

I lay on my back again and reached for her hand as she explained, “You will find that I know a lot about this because I’ve always been very athletic, as you may know --and as you have been, now that I think about it. But this isn’t about you; it about me, so that’s not the point. I also grew up with a professional Quidditch player for a father and I watched him inhale food on a daily basis. And finally my mother is --”

“A vegan chef. I know,” I said with a sigh. “I do love your mum’s food,”

“Well, I would agree, but with the fight I’m having over food with her at the moment, I won’t.” 

After Sana and her family had spent the past month in India with her mother’s extended family, Parvati Wood came back with her mind made up that since she didn't eat meat, and in fact, had not in years, she was no longer going to cook it. 

“But haven't all of you always been like eighty percent vegetarian anyway? I don't get what's the big deal…”

“Well yes, but I was living at Hogwarts and eating whatever the hell I wanted most of the year,” she grumbled. “Ugh.”

"I don't know, Sana, I mean, your mum is amazing. Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect body... maybe she's onto something," I said. "Hey, maybe I'll give up meat."

The moment I noticed her face looming over my head, I was already being drenched in water. She was pushing me by the shoulders into the water, and I started flailing my arms, not to stay afloat but to splatter as much water as possible in her direction. 

“You're supposed to be on my side, Weasley. Such betrayal. And on our last night together!” she wailed dramatically, shoving water at me to accentuate each sentence.

She stopped when I started coughing to expel the water that had gone down the wrong tube. “Don't say that. I'm coming to the press conference with you. And we can still hang out,” I said with a pout and swam towards her, still coughing between breaths. 

She engulfed me into a side hug, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “Should've picked someone from my own year for a best mate. Could've moved in together. Wouldn't have had to eat my mother’s vegetarian food.” 

I elbowed her in the ribs, making her let go of me as I said, “Don't get all sentimental, Wood. We can survive one year.” 

“Can we?” she asked.

I shrugged. “What time do you think it is now?” We still had a half-hour walk ahead of us, and I was worried that it was getting late.

“Don't worry, Rosie, I’ll take you back to bed at a decent time so you can wake up early for your clandestine rendez-vous with Malfoy,” she assured me with a smile that stretched to one side of her face, and she cleared her throat, beckoning an explanation. 

I rolled my eyes at her with a chuckle. Of course, she knew. She always did. “We’re working on something for the team back at school. We tried practising at night, but I couldn’t really see as well, so I’ve had to wake up at an ungodly hour. But I think it’ll be worth it. He came up with this… exercise. Which is why I didn't tell you or Lily because I knew you'd go tattle to someone from your teams and steal the idea.”

She put hand at the centre of her chest, completely missing her heart as she said, “So this is it then? Ravenclaw comes before our friendship?”

I moved her hand a little to the left so it was actually over her heart and said, “Erm, you would’ve gone and told whoever you and James have appointed as captain for Gryffindor even if I’d told you it's a secret.”

She made a long shushing noise as she waved her hand dismissively and tossed her head back melodramatically. “That's strike two tonight, Weasley. Strike two. And you know what, strike three is for being born a year too late.”

“What happens now that I've got three strikes?”

“I drown you in the lake and we see if anyone other than me would notice you're gone,” she said spontaneously, not needing a moment to think it over. 

“Evil. I always knew you Gryffindors are diabolical and evil,” I said dryly, shaking my head in disapproval, making my hair splash water in all directions.

A few nights after that I was sat on a stool, reclining against the bar, laden with a sense of finality as I watched everyone else dancing and drinking. It was our last night at Camp Wicklow for Quidditch, and I was dreading having to leave. I had been so stable throughout that month, so immersed in the sport I loved that it was my top priority, rendering everything else an afterthought.

“I've been trying to figure out which guy you're so taken by, but I'm starting to think that you've just drifted off,” Lily’s voice said as she bounced onto a stool next to me. Her face was gleaming under the dim, yellow lighting of the bar, and her false eyelashes were casting a shadow onto her cheeks. “Am I right?” she asked and passed to me the can of soda she was holding.

“It seems like you've finally begun to understand me, Lily,” I said, and took a sip from her drink. I almost choked on the bitter taste as I wasn't expecting it and I turned to glare at Lily. “Lily that's alcohol! And it's strong!”

Lily’s eyes shifted around to check that James wasn't in the vicinity and flipped her hair to one side of her neck nonchalantly, “Yes, I know. I asked for it.” She reached over to retrieve her drink but I stretched my arm out to keep it out of her reach. 

“Yeah, no, I’m keeping that,” I said and took another small sip. The taste did not seem to improve.

“I would've left you wallowing alone in a corner if I’d known you're as overprotective as James,” she grumbled as she crossed her arms across her chest.

“Uh, excuse me! No one is as bad as James. In fact, I’d help you do anything to infuriate James except let you get intoxicated,” I informed her and set the despicable drink down on the bar. 

“I will hold you to that!” she said and pointed a finger at me. “I just need to run to the loo for a moment.”

I craned my neck to look at the line of women standing at the bathroom door, and I could tell it was going to take longer than a moment for Lily to return with a scheme for us to execute together. So I relaxed in my seat and tossed my head back, tapping my fingers against the bar to the beat of the music.

“Shut up, Gillian. Or have a drink and leave me alone,” Scorpius said as he and Rory Gillian took seats at the bar next to me.

“No, no, wait! Let’s hear what Rose thinks about it,” Rory said. Scorpius didn’t bother to reply and proceeded to ask the bartender about the different drinks. “Rose, don’t you think that we’re gonna be screwed over now that Malfoy is team captain?”

“Erm… I can’t make such a claim when we haven’t properly seen him in action yet.”

“He isn’t questioning my abilities. He’s questioning our luck because of the Streak,” Scorpius clarified as he took a sip of his purple drink. 

When I didn't say anything, refusing to dignify this claim with a response , Rory said, “See? Even she’s questioning it now.”

“No, I’m not. I don't believe in these ridiculous sport superstitions. I'm sure Malfoy is smarter than to fall for that either,” I said.

“He’d like to think so, but there's a vein in his temples that’s been pulsating ever since I pointed this out to him,” Rory countered, a smug smile plastered on his face. He then proceeded to place his index finger against Scorpius’s temple, which of course, Scorpius swatted away, exasperated. 

“As we Quidditch girls have stated a hundred times before, this is bullshit. It doesn't guarantee anything because teams are still losing with girls as captains because all captains are girls. It's stupid.”

“You're tackling this the wrong way. No house took the Quidditch cup in the past twelve years unless the captain was a girl, which is why there hasn't been any blokes as captain the past five years. So yes, of course, teams are losing with girls as captains but that's purely based on abilities, not because they're testing their luck by appointing a bloke for captain,” Rory said and shoved Scorpius by the shoulder. “Even James fucking Potter didn't get to be captain.”

Scorpius didn't react, seeming unaffected by Rory’s behaviour. He just sat there sipping his drink, and I wondered if he was listening to us at all.

“Yes, that’s because Sana Wood is twice the player that he is. I stand by my point that this is dumb,” I persisted.

“And I stand by my point that once a team has been formed, we appoint you as captain, Weasley,” he said and came to stand next to me so that Scorpius wasn't an obstruction between us.

“No thanks, if I wanted to be captain, I would've gone for it when Finnigan offered.”

“See! Even Finnigan believed in the Streak,” was Rory’s response as he slammed a hand against the bar, infuriated.

I looked at him, dumbfounded as I came to a realisation. Did Jenny Finnigan ask me to be captain just because my gender and its relation to some preposterous superstition? She knew I didn't have leadership skills, and the only other girl on the team was Lila Sloan who had only been on the team for a year. 

“Whatever, Gillian. Finnigan’s gone, and I'm captain. And I swear that if you don't stop nagging about this, I won't even let you try out for the team,” Scorpius threatened and finished his drink in one gulp. 

“Take this, Rory, and calm down, please. We haven't even started the school year yet,” I said and handed him Lily’s drink. 

“What is it?” he asked but took a sip before I answered anyway. “Ugh, it’s disgusting,” He wrinkled nose at the drink but then went back for another sip. 

I noticed that Lily has resurfaced when she started yelling at me, “You gave my drink to him? He’s my age!”

“He was getting on my nerves,” I explained. 

“I owe you one, Potter. I'm not sure what this is or how you managed to get it, but I owe you for it,” Rory said to Lily. She took the can from his hand and started leading him away from us, surely to find a spot in James’s line of vision. 

“Great, now I’m involved this,” I mumbled as I turned to face Scorpius. “Don't let him get into your head. This streak thing is stupid. You'll just need to pick people who aren't stupid enough to buy into it and won't slacken and try to blame it on the Streak.”

“Or you can just step up and take this position that you had first claim to and save us all the drama that'll break out once people know I'm captain,” he said.

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously suggesting this? I decided to ignore him and order a drink.

“Weasley, I’m serious,” his voice was full of urgency.

“I can tell,” I said and glanced in his direction before reverting my attention to the menu. “And I refuse to take you seriously.”

“It’ll be a hectic mess before every match. You know what it’s like when Ravenclaws are stressed,” he tried to rationalise with me. 

I slammed the menu shut and rotated on the stool to face him again. “Malfoy, we haven't even started the school year and you're coming up with all these creative tactics and exercises. I don't bring anything to the table but my gender, which would only feed this ridiculous notion that I refuse to endorse.”

“Alright then, I can be the brains and do all the work, and you can be the face of the team and get all the credit and the glory. How does that sound?” he offered and signaled for the bartender to get him another drink.

I leered at him through narrowed eyes until the bartender laid the drink in front of him. I grabbed it before he could and began to sip on it, relishing it's refreshing coolness. He opened his mouth to object but then he decided against it. I suppose he realised how agonizing he was being.

“Why did you agree to be captain when Finnigan offered you the position?” I asked calmly, having been soothed by the cool, tart drink that I couldn't identify. 

He ordered yet another drink then explained , “It’s something that I'm passionate about and that I'm good at.” He seemed to hesitate for a second and ran a hand through his blonde hair as he made the decision to continue. “And I thought it would be a decent chance to prove myself and it would improve my reputation.”

“I wasn't aware you had a bad reputation,” I said between sips. 

“It's not a reputation per se. It's more of the stigma surrounding my last name,” he clarified.

I nodded in understanding. “And you're willing to give up the chance to rectify that and to prove people wrong just because of a silly myth?”

“Well, if we do screw up this year, then it will have the complete opposite effect.”

“But we won't. You'll put together a good team and --”

He interrupted, “It won't matter if the rest of the house is psyching everyone out before games.” He gulped down his drink at one go, set it down on the bar, and began to run his index finger over the edge of the glass.

“Malfoy, they're Ravenclaws. They're smarter than to take this thing seriously. ”

“No one is rational when it comes Quidditch, Weasley,” he said glumly, and I was hoping that his tone indicated that he was done arguing.

“You just focus on putting together the best team we've had yet, and I'll control the masses. Even if I don't make the team. You have my word,” I told him.

“You can't guarantee something like that.”

“Then you don't know what sort of power I have,” I challenged and flipped my hair over my shoulder, hoping to demonstrate confidence.


	6. Ravenclaw Goes Rogue

Between the clatter of cutlery against plateware and the endless chatter, The Great Hall was buzzing with noise. I could smell the food as soon as I was past the door, the aroma of garlic and herbs reminding my stomach how small of a breakfast I had consumed, and making it growl vengefully. 

“Our table or yours?” Lily asked as she scanned the room for potential disruptive people. 

“I think this is a good time to suggest that we revisit the possibility of sitting at the Gryffindor table,” Hugo said tentatively as he loosened the red-and-gold tie around his neck. 

“No, Hugo,” the rest of us responded dismissively in one breath.

“Let’s go to ours,” Lily said. “For some reason, Serene is sitting at the Ravenclaw table, and I really would rather not hear her whine about how she has to try out for the quidditch team again.” We followed Lily’s lead to the Slytherin table as Lily went on, “We all have to tryout again. It’s not even a good sob story. I’d hope she doesn’t make it onto the team if she weren’t so bloody good.”

“I don’t see why we can’t start sitting at the Gryffindor table. If the point of Family Dinner Nights was that those of you who don’t have anyone else from the family with them to have consistent contact with family… even though that was never the case because Lily and Albus have always been in the same house, and Louis is with Rose --”

“Louis has been glued to Lysander’s side since second year. He only noticed I exist during the very brief period I was with Lysander,” I interjected as I took a seat next to Albus at the table, and Hugo and Lily sat across from us. 

 

“That’s irrelevant. Everyone else has gone. I’m the only Weasley left in Gryffindor,” Hugo argued and proceeded to pile food onto his plate, splattering sauce around with his infuriated motions. 

“Hugo, why do you always, always push us into this corner where we have to remind you, while not intending any kind of malice or offense, that we don’t like Gryffindors?” Albus asked him and pushed the plate of bread rolls toward me. 

“And I don’t like Slytherins,” Hugo managed to say between mouthfuls. 

“Yes, and we’ve already established that this is a democracy, and there’s more of us than there is of you,” I said and placed a piece of bread onto my plate. I helped myself to a generous serving of salad which had orange segments and nuts in it. 

“Are Louis and Lysander together?” Lily asked, and her eyes darted toward the Ravenclaw table trying to spot the two boys in question. 

“I don’t know, but I hope so,” I shrugged and tossed the lettuce leaves around my plate. 

“So this makes Lysander’s deal…?” Lily reached over to take the salad bowl. 

“Strictly blokes,” I replied with a nod. 

“Oooh, and how does that leave things between the two of you?” Lily asked. 

I shrugged and said, “It’s fine, I mean, what’s there to make a fuss about? So he figured his sexuality out when he was with me. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

Just then, a loud noise arose from Ravenclaw’s side of the Great Hall, and I turned around to see what was going on. I saw a piece of bread fly across the table to hit a second year in the head, and I saw Moira Wetherby --Head Girl, fellow Ravenclaw, and my roommate up until that year-- stand on the bench, trying to control the situation. 

“What’s that about? Has your entire house gone bonkers? Has all the stressing about studying finally made you lot lose it?” Hugo asked, a smug smile on his face as though he had come up with a brilliant comeback. 

“I reckon I know what that’s about. I’ll bet you 5 galleons it’s about Quidditch,” Albus said without looking up, too consumed by cutting into his honey-glazed duck breast.. 

“Shut up, Albus. I have to take care of something,” I said and got up to head towards the Ravenclaw table. I had no doubt in my mind that news about Scorpius being captain had started circulating around, even though we had a plan to control the situation and to deliver the news in a way that would cause the least caustic reaction possible. I had an inkling that perhaps this was Rory Gillian’s doing, and I had every intention of throttling the truth out of him the first chance I got. 

Moira walked up to me, out of breath from berating nearly everyone at the table. “Someone let the news slip. And Malfoy was right; I really didn’t think they’d take so badly.” 

“Me neither,” I admitted and pursed my lips, starting to get concerned. “But have you to talked to Professor Clearwater? Do we have permission to follow through with the rest of the plan?”

“We do,” she confirmed with a nod, and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I told them I’m giving everyone twenty minutes to finish dinner, then we’re having a meeting in the common room. That made them quiet down a bit. I suppose if there’s anything they care more about than Quidditch, it’s food.”

“They’re going to kill us in our sleep after this,” I mumbled and looked in the direction of the table. Everyone was still arguing frantically, although not as loudly as they were a few minutes ago. And there seemed to be a lot more cutlery scratching violently against plates than usual. 

“People in positions of authority are never liked,” Moira offered wisely. 

“Yes, but I’m not Head Girl, nor am I the Quidditch team captain,” I said, almost complaining that I was caught up in this dilemma. “I’m getting all of the pain and none of the privileges.”

Moira snorted, a reaction that didn’t suit her gentle, almost Victorian facade and said, “What privileges?” She looked at the table and immediately stomped over while shouting, “Dev Wood, sit down and stop pointing that knife at people!” 

“I’ll leave you to that and go finish my dinner since apparently all I have is 20 minutes,” I said and walked back over to the Slytherin table. 

“You turned capitancy down and let Malfoy have it? Seriously? I can’t wait to tell Dad about this!” Hugo said, and banged his fist excitedly onto the table as I sat back down next to Albus.

“Wait, is that going around too?” I asked, my eyes widening in shock. Rory Gillian was a dead man. 

“No, Albus just told us,” Lily explained and I immediately punched Albus lightly in the shoulder. “Everyone’s talking about how excited they are their house is winning the Quidditch cup this year. Including me. I’m very excited too!”

Professor Longbottom stopped to talk to us before I had the chance to throw obscenities in Lily’s direction.

“Is it true Malfoy is team captain, Rose?” Professor Longbottom asked, unable to conceal his expectant smile. 

“Oh, not you too, Professor. You don’t believe in that too, do you?” I asked him, my voice whiny and disappointed that my favourite professor believed in the Streak. 

“Sorry, Rose, but I’ll do anything now that we’ve lost Potter and Wood,” he admitted, sounding slightly apologetic. 

“We beat you last year when you had them,” I retorted defensively and pushed my plate away, losing my appetite. 

“Yes, but you had Finnigan who was brilliant, and you’ve lost her too,” Professor Longbottom pointed out. 

“Professor, when you say you’ll do anything so that we win this year. Do you mean I can miss Herbology to get some more practise?” Hugo asked, stupid as ever. 

“Anything that will not affect grades on my subject, please, Hugo,” he replied with a frown. 

“Extra hours after curfew?” Hugo persisted, craning his neck in order to look at the Professor who was standing behind him. 

“Also not things that might make us lose house points,” Professor Longbottom instructed. “Do the Slytherins have no comment on the matter at hand?” 

“We would rather channel our excitement into practise than celebrate it like this now,” Albus said, trying throw shade as politely as possible. 

“I love it when you say ‘we’ like you’re on the team,” Lily said, barely glancing at Albus as she said that, preoccupied with her plate of food. 

“Well, to be fair, Lily, if he’s in the stands shouting instructions and gesticulating frantically the entire duration of the game, he kind of is on the team… in a sense,” Professor Longbottom offered on Albus’s behalf. “Just create this strategist position he’s been asking for for years now.”

“Please, Professor, don't put it back in his head. Or are you trying to disrupt the peace in Slytherin on purpose?” Lily said as she caught an eager smile on Albus’s face at the Professor’s suggestion. 

“I might be. Just a little bit. As I said, it'll take everything for Gryffindor to win this year,” the professor admitted with a small laugh. 

Hugo joined him in laughter and held his hand up for a high five which the professor reciprocated. “Well-played, Professor. Well-played! And don't worry; we’ll get them.”

“I wouldn't be so sure. I'd have my money on Hufflepuff. They didn't lose their team captain and they’ve got some promising prospective players. Fares was playing exceptionally well at camp this year. I’m expecting great things from him,” I said and poked a cube of roasted potato on Albus’s plate with my fork. 

“You seem awfully calm for someone who’s got the odds stacked against them, Rose,” Professor Longbottom said to me. 

I swallowed the food and replied, “That’s because I don’t believe in the Streak like some people do,” I punctuated my words by rolling my eyes briefly then continued, “And that the only thing we’ve got going against us.” My eyes roamed over the table to locate the plate of roasted potatoes. “Albus, can you pass me the potatoes?”

While I was preoccupied with ladling potatoes onto my plate, I heard Professor Longbottom say, “Mr. Malfoy, congratulations on making captain. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

I looked up to see Malfoy standing next to Professor Longbottom, colour drained from his face as his eyes shifted around. I followed his line of vision to find that everyone was looking at him, and when I looked back at him, I found that his gaze had settled on me and it seemed to be full of lament. 

“We’ll still beat you though,” Hugo added excitedly. 

“Thank you, Professor,” Scorpius mumbled and tucked a hand into the pocket of his robes. 

“I’ll leave you kids finish your dinner. See you in class,” Professor Longbottom said and gave us a parting nod as he left. 

“Hey, Weasley, is it okay if I sit here? The last thing I need today is to sit with a bunch of Ravenclaws who want to stab me with the butter knife.”

“Sure,” I said without thought and without consulting my company. Immediately, I saw Hugo frown at me and I heard Albus clear his throat awkwardly next to me. 

“Hey, cheer up, Malfoy. If I were made team captain, there’d be a rave with copious amounts of alcohol down in the dungeons. And all the houses would be invited just to see what they’re up against,” Lily told him, seemingly the only one unbothered by Scorpius’s interruption of our family dinner. 

“Yeah, well, you’ve got the right gender for the position, so no one would make a big deal out of it,” Scorpius told her and reached out for the plate of potatoes. 

“I’d still do the same thing if I were a boy because I know how good I am,” Lily said with a shrug then redirected her attention to her plate of food. 

“Yeah well…” Scorpius trailed of and I noticed that he was just tossing the potatoes around his plate aimlessly. 

Silence hung between us for a few minutes and just when I thought it would last forever or I would have to choke on my food on purpose just to break it, Scorpius asked Hugo, “Hey, Weasley, you’re on Gryffindor’s quidditch team, aren’t you?”

“Yep! I just made it onto the team last year. But I’d been a reserve since second year,” Hugo said with a nod, his eyes gleaming with pride. 

“How come I’ve never seen you at camp then?”

“Quidditch camp coincides with chess camp. Hugo prefers the latter, only Merlin knows why,” Lily offered in explanation. 

“Oi, first of all, it’s held in a different country each year, which I happen to really like. Secondly, some of do go off and play Quidditch together when we have time at chess camp. So I get to do both things and go somewhere nice,” Hugo said defensively. 

“Hey, Wicklow is a beautiful place!” Lily counteracted and pointed her fork at him. 

Hugo rolled his eyes and modified his statement, “Fine. I get to go somewhere new every year. Satisfied?”

Scorpius was watching the exchange between them but his face seemed blank, and he still hadn’t touched his plate of food.

“I’ll bet you’re jealous I’ve been to 8 different countries so far.”

“I wouldn’t spend three weeks playing chess even if it meant I’d get to see every city on the globe.”

“That’s because you don’t have what it takes to be good at chess anyway!”

“Did you just call me stupid, Hugo Weasley?” 

 

I shared an exasperated look with Albus who seemed to be rather amused by our siblings’ juvenile exchange “Erm, Scorpius, would you like us to go ahead to the common room? We should find Moira and take her along with us so we can go over what we’re going to tell everyone just one more time.” 

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t look like I’m going to eat anything anyway,” he said and began to get up to leave. 

“You have fun babysitting,” I told Albus as I stood up. 

“And you have fun attempting to tame the masses,” he retorted with a smirk, and I could tell he was really was hoping they would win the cup this year. And it was an understandable sentiment since the last time Slytherin won the quidditch cup was during Albus’s and my first year at Hogwarts. And while the cup has been going back and forth between us and Gryffindor ever since, I still wanted us to win this year. And I was willing to do whatever it takes --on the pitch and off it-- in order to make that happen. 

“Malfoy, you need to be exuding confidence. I know you’re nervous, and you have every right to be because they’re all absolutely mental. But if you can’t convince them that you’re in complete control of the situation and that you have unwavering faith in your leadership abilities, then we’re in for a wreck,” Moira lectured him as we headed up towards the Ravenclaw tower. 

Scorpius nodded but didn’t say anything. When Moira heard no response from him, she took a wide step and intercepted his path, bringing us all to a stop. 

“Why do you look like that?” she asked in an interrogative manner as his eyes flitted over his pale face. “Have you even eaten anything today?”

“Breakfast,” he mumbled. 

Moira shook her head and said, “Fuck, Malfoy.” She dug into her bag until she unearthed a bar of dark chocolate and shoved it at his chest. “I want you running on endorphins by the time the rest of the house is in the common room, understood?” 

In that moment, it wasn’t difficult to see why Moira was Head Girl. Not that I ever questioned it. After sharing a dorm with her for six years, and being woken up by her and following the study schedule she set out, not just for us three Ravenclaw girls in our year but some of the guys as well, I knew she had a penchant for leadership and that she was bloody good at it. 

“That’s really good chocolate. Thanks,” Scorpius said as he broke another cube and offered it to Moira. 

Moira accepted it with a smile and Scorpius turned around to offer me a piece. I hesitated but took it anyway and mumbled a thank you. I could have used some endorphins too. 

“I usually save it for the nights when I’m trying not to bash my skull against the wall because I can’t figure out Arithmancy and Runes,” Moira told him. “But you need it more than I do right now. And I’m not going to let Ravenclaws go rogue the year I’m Head Girl, so I need you to be in good shape.”

“I’ll try my best. And I can help you with Arithmancy, by the way,” Scorpius said. “I like to think I’m decent at it, but aren’t you top of our class with Runes?”

“She is,” I confirmed with a nod. 

“Not out of natural talent, I’m afraid,” Moira said with a sigh. 

Once we made it past the knocker which gave us a fairly easy riddle --thank Merlin, Moira asked, “So, do we go over the speech again or do we make tea?”

“Tea,” Scorpius and I said in unison. 

“Agreed. Come, I’ve got a kettle and everything up in my room,” Moira said and we followed her up to her Head Girl chambers.


	7. Taming the Masses

Most of the members of the house of Ravenclaw were gathered in the common room, which usually looked more spacious. But then again, it was very rare that the majority of the house were together in the common room at the same time. 

Moira stood up on the rectangular coffee table so that she would tower over her audience. Scorpius and I remained on the ground in front of her, facing the discombobulated crowd. 

“Alright, I guess enough of you are here to pass this message on to the rest of our housemates,” Moira began, her voice loud enough to make everyone else quiet down. When she felt as though she was being given the amount of attention she was owed, she continued “ I am sure you have all heard by now that Scorpius Malfoy is the new captain of our Quidditch team this year. I’m also sure that you all, unfortunately enough, know about the so-called Streak, and that you think that we are at a disadvantage because our captain is a guy. Now, I’m not sure how you could be in Ravenclaw and buy into such a ridiculous notion. But this isn’t the time or the place for us to be questioning the decisions of the Sorting Hat.”

“Did she have to question their intelligence?” Scorpius whispered to me. 

I shrugged and pursed my lips. The last thing a Ravenclaw wanted was having their mental facilities questioned. But then again, that was the dumbest of notions, indeed. 

“I know --without a shadow of a doubt-- that you all have the house’s best interests at heart. And that this is why you have been frantic ever since you’ve heard the news. But if you really want the best for this house, if you want us to keep the Quidditch cup for another year, you will have to stop propagating this preposterous belief in the Streak. Our team will need support and encouragement from us, not doubt. The other houses will certainly use this Streak thing to try to faze the team. Which is why we need to remain a united front.” 

“I think they’re taking it well,” Scorpius hypothesised out loud as he studied the faces of the students surrounding us from every direction. 

“And for incentive, we are happy to announce that we will start a system for study groups and two to three people who are top of their class will be responsible for each subject. Details on that will be available on handouts around the common room tomorrow morning after breakfast. If any of you would like to help with that, we are still lacking on some subjects such as Care for Magical Creatures, Runes, and Astronomy. If you’re interested, come see me in my chambers and we’ll see if and how you can contribute to this project. Although we strongly believe in positive reinforcement and incentives, we also know they don’t work for everyone. Therefore, anyone caught talking about this goddamn streak, will get one strike the first time. The second time, they’ll get detention that coincides with a game. The third strike, they’re getting banned from attending any games for the rest of the year.” 

“This is blatant oppression of free speech and we refuse to succumb!” Lysander shouted with his fist in the air, and a wave of murmurs rippled through the previously silent crowd. 

“This is for the good of the house, Scamander,” Moira pressed, her hand curling up into a fist at her side. 

“This is the same thing all oppressive regimes do. They claim they know what’s better for the people and then--” Lysander stopped talking abruptly and looked at Louis who was standing next to him then said, “Never mind me. You go right on, Moira.”

Moira cleared her throat and glared at Lysander, silently assuring him that he would have to pay for that later. “I hope you are all going to cooperate so we could have a good season this year. And like I said, don’t hesitate to approach me if you would like to help with the tutoring project. If it works, we may be able to turn it into a permanent thing from here onwards. Thank you for giving us your time. You may all disperse now. And 6th year Prefects, please, come with me.” 

As the students began to shuffle around us, a hum of conversation erupted across the common room as they began to move in various directions. Moira stepped off the table to stand between Scorpius and me. “Impeccable job, Minister. I’ll definitely vote for you should you ever decide to actually go for it.” Scorpius told her what looked like a grateful smile. 

“You better, Malfoy,” she told him as she twisted her loose blonde hair up into a messy bun. “Rose, can you handle Scamander on my behalf, please?”

“Gladly,” I said with a grin and immediate began to head in his and Louis’s direction. 

Because Lysander and I broke up after only two months of messing around, it didn’t take long for us to bounce back to our original bond as close friends. There was awkwardness for the first few weeks. He felt guilty and my confidence was slightly shaken. But after Sana dragged us into a broom closet and reminded us that we had more than ten years of friendship between us and yet another year and a half of sharing a common room together, we managed to reconcile. 

Which was why I wasn’t going to miss out on a chance to agitate him.

“Heya, Rose,” he greeted me, seeming aloof to my dismay. 

“What was the point of that exactly?” I asked, raising both of my eyebrows at him, trying to communicate every ounce of my frustration. 

“It’s always fun ruffling the feathers of quidditch buffs,” Lysander said nonchalantly.

He swung an arm casually around Louis’s shoulders but Louis ducked to avoid it and said, “I’m a quidditch buff.” He blinked at his boyfriend questioningly. 

“Unfortunately. You’re lucky you’ve got other attributes to make up for it though,” Lysander retorted and ruffled Louis’s hair. 

Louis brashly swatted Lysander’s hand away. “I’ll keep him in check, Rose; don’t worry. We need to win this year so I can rub it in Hugo’s face.”

“Ditto,” I said to my cousin with a nod. 

Lysander rolled his eyes and sighed. “You lot stress yourselves out over this stupid game. Like we don’t have enough to be worried about with NEWTs this year. Or OWLs, in this young man’s case.” He went to pat Louis on the head but Louis dodged him again. 

“Well, I’d really appreciate it if you lightened the load this year by not disrupting the peace,” I told him. 

“You don’t even know if things will settle down to begin with,” Lysander challenged with a smirk and ran a hand through his long silver hair. 

“I think they will. I’d sell some of my organs if someone will help me pass Potions this year,” Louis said. “Oh, and bloody Arithmancy.”

“He means ‘ace’, not ‘pass’. Did you ever get anything less than an Outstanding on either?” Lysander asked and cross his arms across his chest. 

“No, but none of the previous years had OWLs!” Louis whined and buried his face in his hands. “I’m so stressed out already.”

“Heh, Ravenclaws. We have no chill,” Lysander said with a slight shake of his head. This time, Louis let Lysander pat down his hair. “You’ll do fine, Louis. And if I decide to play nice and not challenge authority, this tutoring project thing might actually help a lot.”

Louis peeked out from behind the hands that were shielding his face to say, “So you mean you won’t challenge the authority then?”

“For your sanity? I can think about it, Louis,” Lysander said and ruffled Louis’s hair again. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seventh year was hell, right from the very beginning. I was aware that I had taken way too many core subjects, but that was my only option given that I didn’t have the faintest idea what I wanted to do after I was done with school. If I had dropped Charms, which I loathed, I wouldn’t have healing as a career option. And I wasn’t going to drop Herbology or Potions because I was excellent at them and they would qualify me for healing or working in research in either field. When I thought about it, developing and innovating potions, sounded rather interesting and would very much involve my extensive knowledge on Herbology. 

But then I also couldn’t give up Defense Against the Dark Arts because my connections at the Ministry meant I would have a decent Plan B. And I held onto Muggle Studies as well just in case I decided to work for Muggle Liaisons and follow in some of my mother’s footsteps. And while Muggle Liaisons was the last thing on my list because not only was I going to be following in some of my mother’s footsteps but also in direct contact with her shadow for the rest of my professional life. 

I sighed to myself as I collapsed onto an empty couch in the common room. I had one free hour between Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I should have been putting it to good use --and I had every intention to, but then a striped grey cat climbed up my leg and decided to nestle in my lap. 

“Awh, hello there,” I said to the cat as I pushed my books aside. The cat reached out one paw to my curls which were dangling in a ponytail down my shoulder. The poor creature must have mistaken it for very brightly coloured yarn. I pushed my hair away so it would be tucked between my back and the cushion behind me. “Trust me, you don’t want to get all tangled up in that.”

“Hey Rose,” a voice said, and I turned around to find Lysander approaching me. “Ergh, Lucy,” he grumbled and wrinkled his nose. 

“Huh?” I frowned at him, then looked around me wondering where Lucy was. 

“The cat, Weasley,” he clarified and stood behind the couch, glaring at it. 

I ran my hands through the cat’s soft, fuzzy grey fur and it stretched out across my lap. “Hi, Lucy.” I turned to look at Lysander and asked, “Whose is it?” 

“It’s Malfoy’s little monster,” Lysander said. 

“Why are we talking about Lucy?” I heard Scorpius ask before I saw him and I asked at the same time, “Why are you calling it a monster?”

“Because he’s malicious. I regret ever bringing him along. Not that I had a choice. Bloody thing clung to my legs when I was leaving the house then spent the whole train ride scratching me,” Scorpius said. 

“This cute little thing?” I asked as I continued to stroke its fur, looking up at the two boys who were cowering behind the couch.

“He’s glaring at me like he did before he tore up my Transfiguration essay. There must be a way for you to send him back home?” Lysander asked and hugged his satchel protectively to his chest as he took a few steps back. 

“I’ll try at Christmas, but we’ve got to tolerate him until then,” Scorpius said. 

“Let me get one thing straight. You call your male cat ‘Lucy’?” I asked, rather amused by how Lysander was partially hiding behind Scorpius now. 

“It’s short for Lucius,” Scorpius responded with an amused chuckle. 

It wasn’t lost on me that Lucius was the name of Scorpius Malfoy’s grandfather, and that Scorpius had given this name to a cat that he found ‘malicious’, as he had so bluntly put it. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s awful. My parents thought it was rude so I went back home after first year to find that he only responds to Lucy,” he explained, the amused smile never abandoning his face. “Hey, Lucius, come here,” Scorpius held a hand out to the cat. 

Lucy produced a shrill shriek and swung its paw in Scorpius’s direction. 

“See?” he said and threw his bag next to me on the couch. “He clearly likes you though. You know what? You can keep him.” 

“Erm, we already have two cats back home. One of them is pretty old and grumpy. But I don’t mind looking out for him while we’re here,” I said. Scorpius took a seat next to me as I rubbed a Lucy’s head between his ears, making him purr. 

“Hey, is there any chance you can help me with Herbology whenever you have time?” he asked me as he pulled a couple of books out of his bag.

“Since when do you need help with Herbology?” Lysander asked Scorpius and took a seat next to us as well, his gaze never leaving Lucy for a second. 

“Since I spent the entire period today working on this,” Scorpius said and pulled out a piece of parchment out of the Herbology textbook and handed it to me.

“I need help with that too, if you two are going to do it anyway. No offense to Professor Longbottom or anything, but I didn’t understand anything today. But I don’t think it’s his fault. I just think that NEWT level Herbology is a bitch,” Lysander said.

“It is,” Scorpius and I confirmed in unison. 

I was inspecting Scorpius’s illustration of a new formation for the team and I caught Lysander out of the corner of my eye leaning over Scorpius to peek at the crisp piece of parchment I was holding, and Scorpius sank back into the couch to accommodate him. 

“Erm, no,” I said and twisted away from him with the parchment in tow. “This is lame quidditch-related stuff. Nothing to concern you.” 

He brushed it off with a shrug and said, “Wouldn’t have bothered anyway if I had known.”

At that moment, Lucy jumped off my lap, and Lysander’s legs sprang off the ground and he hugged his knees to his chest.

“But Malfoy, moving Lila from left to centre means we’ve got no defense on the left.” 

“Yeah, but you have a habit of swinging to the left, so we could use the reinforcement on the right,” Scorpius explained as he flipped through the Herbology book, trying to find the that day’s lesson. 

“I do?” 

He let out an absentminded hum with a nod. 

“I never noticed that,” I said. “It’s page 72, by the way.”

“Ah, thanks,” he said and opened to the correct page, revealing the detailed illustration of the Papaver Sominiferous. “And Lila won’t be stationary. She should be able to help you out on the left should you need it. But you rarely miss shots on the left. We’ll try it out tomorrow. I got us the pitch at six.” 

“Why don’t we just try to work on getting rid of this tendency to head left?” I asked and handed him back the piece of parchment. 

“We could. But I’d like us to try this for one match, given that it works out in practise and Lila can handle things well from her new position. It might throw the other teams off because the left side will be open, but you’ll probably catch it, so…” 

“Can you two stop prattling on about quidditch? We should get started on this herbology thing if we’re going to do it now. I’ve got forty minutes left till Care for Magical Creatures,” Lysander said and made his frustration evident with a huff. 

“If you keep complaining about quidditch, I’m not helping you with anything. I could just explain it to Malfoy after practise tomorrow,” I threatened him and took the book from Scorpius. I skimmed over the pages to make sure I remembered all of the information accurately. “What’s got you stumped, Lysander?” 

“Well, I was paying attention up until Professor Longbottom said that we extract 35 different substances just from the fruit. Then I drifted off because I knew I wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around any of it,” Lysander said. 

“So you got nothing basically?” 

He nodded with a smile then said, “Not about Herbology, no. But I was reading the latest issue of Magnificent Miniature Monsters and--” He began to rummage through his bag as he continued, “Did you know that they found this minuscule creature in Australia. It’s called--”

I shuddered and interrupted him, “Nope. I don’t want to hear about how a tiny insect can kill me, thank you very much, Lysander.”


	8. Making Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who's left kudos or subscribed to this story! All and any reviews are appreciated! And expect more updates soon-ish. <3

As the Quaffle rushed past my outstretched arm and through the hooe, I heard Scorpius shout, “WEASLEY! Why are you missing shots?!” Momentarily, he was zooming across the pitch in my direction and I covered my face with one hand in shame.

“I hesitated. Again,” I mumbled and went back to grasping the broom with both hands. This was the fifth time I missed a shot because of the same mistake, but this was the first time that Scorpius had abandoned his search for the snitch to come yell at me.

Well, he wasn’t really yelling, but he was frustrated, and I didn’t like being the instigator or the recipient of this frustration.

“I thought we agreed that you’re not going to change anything,” he told me, his quidditch robes fluttering in the air behind him. The sun was starting to rise and I had to squint to see him.

“I know, I know. But what you said made me self-conscious.”

“That wasn’t the point. And it wasn’t a criticism. I was just pointing it out,” he said gently this time.

“I know that. I do. I’ll try to just follow my instincts,” I promised, willing myself to do better.

The horizon was a blend of pink and orange by the time we were landing, and we could see the Hufflepuff team approaching the pitch as we began to pack our things.

Scorpius called after me as we left. “You’re still hesitating. You were doing better by the end, but still not as good as you usually are.”

“I’m sorry, I really am trying but--” I began to explain but then faltered, realising that I didn’t really have any sort of explanation. I just sighed exasperatedly instead and looked at the sky instead as I tried to suppress the sinking feeling in my stomach. This was supposed to be my year to shine, especially after all the time he had invested in me during the summer. I found myself feeling guilty for disappointing him, and I couldn't face him as we move along with the team towards the castle.

“Weasley,” he started tenderly and he curled a firm a hand around my shoulder. “We’ll work on it. We’ve still got time, alright?”

I found myself nodding at him and giving him a small, hopeful smile as the feeling in my stomach transformed to a sort of tugging --no, fluttering even-- that I was unfamiliar with.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With only fourteen out of our entire year taking NEWT level Herbology, it was easy for us to split up into groups of two, and Professor Longbottom was nice enough to let us choose our own partners. Lysander and Scorpius were the only other Ravenclaws in the room and chose each other, and I got to choose the person I preferred working with on plants the most: Albus.

Albus and I had a very interesting dynamic going for us when it came to Potions and Herbology. We were pretty much on par in both, but he had a penchant for Potions and therefore, he had a little bit of an edge in that. The same went for me with Herbology. And with both subjects being so interrelated, we worked together almost faultlessly in both classes when we were paired up.

“Once each group is finished harvesting their pots of aconite, come see me so we can start working on planting new ones. You will be looking after them until the end of the year, so choose your partners wisely,” Professor Longbottom instructed as we separated into groups and moved to disperse along the work bench.

Aconite root had to be harvested when it has dried out and in the autumn. It was a straightforward process, but then we had to plant new aconite, care for it throughout the year, and harvest each of the other parts at the correct time.

“You look dead,” Albus said as he led the way to a group of pots.

“And good morning to you too,” I responded with a frown. “We’ve been practising at five in the morning for three days in a row now. I might actually be dead by the end of the week if we go on like this.”

“Ah,” he said with a nod as he slipped gloves on and then offered me a pair.

“Thanks, I like to get my hands dirty,” I said with a smile and pulled a pot towards me. “And it’s not my first time harvesting aconite, so we’ll get through these ten pots in no time.”

I had been helping Professor Longbottom and his daughter Amelia around in the greenhouses since second year. An extra perk of having access to the greenhouses meant I could get some peace away from everyone whenever I needed it to. So it was a responsibility that I took seriously and enjoyed most of the time. I never quite warmed up to working with Mandrakes though.

“Well,” he started and seemed reluctant as he looked around us to make sure that no one was in earshot before he continued, “It’s not going to be my first time brewing Veritaserum tomorrow.”

“You brewed Veritaserum at home?” I gaped at him and he responded with proud beaming smile. I punched him lightly in the shoulder, speckling his robes with soil. “How did you even manage that?”

“Lily and James were off at Wicklow, Mum and Dad were off at work,” he explained with a shrug as he wriggled the tuber out of the pot.

 

“Don’t harvest that one until we check with the Professor. It doesn’t look dry enough for harvest to me,” I told him and pointed at the plant in question. “But didn’t you have Chess Camp?”

“Yes, but I had a week without you lot around before that,” he said.

“So how do you know you brewed it correctly?”

“Well, it looked right,” he said, shrugging again. “But of course, I didn’t try it on anyone. And I certainly wasn’t going to try it on myself.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” I didn’t take my eyes off my work for one second, careful not to cut any of the thinner roots budding out of the tuber.

“Well, yeah, but all the other times it wasn’t veritaserum,” he said.

“I’m not going to volunteer to let you try it on me, if that’s what you were hoping to achieve by bringing this up,” I told him and glanced up to see Professor Longbottom at the station next to ours, supervising Lorcan and Lena Smith’s work.

We stopped talking about Veritaserum immediately and were done with all the pots by the time Professor Longbottom had moved on to our station.

“Excellent work, you two. I see all the rootlets are intact,” he said as he picked up a few of the tubers and inspected them closely. He handed us a small paper package of seeds.

“Uh, Rose, I need to speak to you after class, please,” Professor Longbottom said.

“Sure, Professor,” I mumbled.

Albus waited until the Professor was out of earshot before he asked, “What do you reckon that’s about?”

“No idea,” I said with a frown and unrolled the top of the package containing the seeds. “He’s already give me the password to the greenhouse I’m looking after. Maybe he’s changed it?”

“Maybe you killed some of the plants what with how exhausted you’ve been,” Albus theorised and I stopped working to glare at him. I didn’t like my competence being questioned, especially when it came to plants.

“My plants are in prime shape, thank you very much. Maybe he heard us talking about experimenting with Veritaserum,” I retorted and went back to burying the seeds in the middle of the pot, making sure they weren’t too deep into the soil to give enough space for the roots to grow.

“Why didn’t he ask me to wait as well, then?” Albus posed a very logical question. Because I had no response, I rolled my eyes at him and focused on finishing our work.

I went to the back of greenhouse and pulled out the textbook, brushing over the theory related to that days class. It at least wasn’t as bad as the theory regarding the Papaver Somniferous which yielded more substances than I could count, let alone remember their properties. When I was done reading over the uses and side effects of aconite root, there were still students loitering around the classroom. So I went back to the chapter on Papaver until I heard Professor Longbottom summon me from the other end of the greenhouse.

“I got an owl from your mother,” he said once I was standing by his desk, my textbook tucked under my arm.

“Is she asking you to keep an eye on me and my mental state?” I guessed. When he nodded, I hugged the book to my chest. I didn’t appreciate that the adults in my life were scheming behind my back, even if it were for my benefit.

It had crossed my mind that this would be the issue at hand, but I didn’t share my hypothesis with Albus because if he knew that my mother was concerned enough to recruit Professor Longbottom for help, he was going to make my life intolerable.

“Listen, I know you’re old enough to take care of yourself, and I’m sure Hermione knows that, too,” he started, and I chuckled. I could believe that Professor Longbottom thought I was capable of keeping myself in check, but my mother… that was highly unlikely. “Rose, I know you’ve made a lot of progress with this since third year and that you’re better at handling and at telling when things are getting bad again. But this is a very stressful year and Sana isn’t here for you anymore, and this might make you lose your grip on things. And all I wanted… All I’m trying to say is that… should you ever start slipping back, even a little, you should either come to me or go see Hannah in the Hospital Wing --whichever you makes you more comfortable-- and ask for help. Okay?”

I bit down on my lip and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try my best.”

It was a promise I seemed to be making a lot these days.

I actually had to follow up on one of these promises the very next morning at 5 Am. I trudged my way down out of the dorm and down to the common room, my broomstick sweeping the stairs behind me as I failed to exert any effort to hold it higher. I saw Scorpius standing in front of the bookcase on the left of the common room’s entrance.

“I’m up,” I called out from my spot at the foot of the staircase. “For your information, it was very hard to drag myself out of bed this early, knowing I’m being singled out like I’m the weakest link or something.”

“You’re not the weakest link. You’re our secret weapon,” he said as he bent down to pick up his stuff from the ground.

“Saying nice things like that still doesn’t make up for the fact that I had to wake up at five for the fourth morning in a row,” I pointed out and started to head towards him.

He turned to face me with a stretched out arm, a paper cup in his hand. “Does this?”

My lips were parted in surprise and then transformed into a smile as I realised what this was. “You got me coffee?”

“I needed you to be in a good mood so you can give me your absolute best,” he said as he handed me the cup.

“Thank you,” I said before taking a sip. The mere rich smell of roasted coffee was already making me stop slouching. I was definitely going to be in a better place once I was done drinking it. “Where’d you get it at this time anyway?” I asked him then gasped when I realised what he might have done. “Did you wake Moira up to use her coffee-press?”

“No, I’m not crazy! I appreciate having my head right here,” he said and ran a hand over down his neck. “I went to the kitchens. The houseelves didn’t cooperate right away because they were swamped with preparing for breakfast. But once I mentioned it was for you, they relented.” He started rummaging in the bag that was slung across his shoulders as we began to head out of the common room. “In fact, they also threw in these muffins,” he said as he pulled out a brown paper bag. “And they said you like bananas so they gave me these…” he added reluctantly as he showed me a whole head of bananas stuffed inside his satchel.

“Yeah, they’re nice to me because of my mum,” I explained. “And I’ll actually take a couple of those later. You can have the muffins if you want though.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said as he tucked his broom under his arm and took a muffin out of the bag.   
“But yeah, you’re right. You should’ve seen the elves. ‘Anything for Hermione Weasley’s daughter! Anything.’ But that’s understandable, your mum is amazing!”

I frowned at him. He definitely wasn’t the first person to speak with zeal about my mother, but I certainly wasn’t expecting such a reaction from Scorpius Malfoy. I do suppose that despite developing a liking for him, some of my prejudices that were passed onto me with my Weasley hair and freckles still lingered.

“What? She is,” he maintained his stance and took a bite from his muffin. “I can’t wait for her to become Minister.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but she doesn’t plan on becoming Minister,” I informed him and felt a jolt of warmth and rejuvenation run through me as the coffee began to kick in. “She likes being able to work on specific small projects. Being Minister wouldn’t give her the chance to do that because she would have to be overseeing literally everything.”

“Hmm…” he nodded. “That makes sense. I was just always hoping we could have someone so unbiased in the Ministry. I mean, I personally owe a lot to your mum’s anti-discrimination campaign back in 2006.”

“How come? You’re not a muggleborn.”

“Obviously not,” he said and shook his head lightly. “But that’s what I’m saying. She didn’t just fight for the rights of muggles and muggleborns. Back then, there were plans to subject the kids of Death Eaters to some sort of evaluation before they got accepted into Hogwarts. But she fought it on the grounds that there was going to be prejudice against us anyway and that if there was systematic discrimination by the school or the Ministry, then they would practically be giving everyone a free pass to be just as discriminating.”

“Well, that and the fact that no one should be punished for their parents’ mistakes,” I added.

“Exactly! Thank you!”

“I didn’t know anything about that,” I told him. “And no one ever talks to me about my mum’s politics. It’s always Hermione Weasley war hero this. Hermione Granger one-third of the Golden Trio that.”

“Well, it was a long time ago. I only know that because I’m interested in politics and History of Magic,” he explained as we left the castle and the cold morning breeze attacked my hair, blowing it in every direction.

“Is that what you plan to work in after Hogwarts?” I asked him. While I hated having this conversation with my family, I was rather curious about what my peers had in mind for their future career plans and if any of them were following a path towards a clear goal.

“Eh, maybe? But I’m also interested in the healing and I think that’s my first choice,” he said.

 

“And Quidditch still isn’t a serious option? Even after seeing how qualified you are for that?” I asked him, remembering our conversation in the summer when he mentioned that he would rather not pursue a job in Quidditch.

“What are you talking about? We haven’t even won a single game yet,” Scorpius argued and shook his head. I couldn’t tell if it was modesty or his lack of confidence that seemed to spring up every time his captaincy is brought into discussion.

“Yes, but you are good at this, Malfoy. At least out there on the field, you’re alert and assertive. You noticed this thing about me and you’ve planned a strategy based on it. Even Oliver Wood himself didn’t notice that,” I said.

“You don’t know that. Maybe he noticed but was smart enough not to mention it so he doesn’t make you self-conscious about it… Which is exactly what I did and what we now have to fix,” he pointed out.

I caught myself smiling at him, my mood rectified as we approached the pitch. He threw all his belongings on the grass and summoned the tennis balls and the baseballs out of his bag.

“So what’s the game plan? How are we going to fix this?” I asked, and reluctantly parted with my half full cup of coffee, laying it on the ground next to his things.

“Do you want to eat something first or are you ready to go?” he asked and just threw a ball in my direction.

I caught it easily and tossed it back to him. “Let’s go.” I took off my jacket and got onto my broom.

“Okay then. We’re going to do what we were doing back at camp. But faster, so you wouldn’t have a chance to think too much about or hesitate,” he said and proceeded to cast his charms on the balls he was cradling.

“I’m gonna go ahead and get up there,” I told him and kicked off the ground, struggling against a gust of icy wind, my lungs filled with ice as I flew towards the goal posts.

We spent a long time playing with the smaller muggle balls. They were coming at me at such a high speed, I could barely breathe, let alone think. I kept criss-crossing my way between the three hoops. Because it was a charm, I knew that there must have been a pattern, but I was so preoccupied with fending off the balls, I wasn't able to detect it.

I was in a trance until all of a sudden the balls stopped coming, and Scorpius floated towards me and said, “Take a break and eat then we’ll get started on the Quaffles. They’ll have to be slower because they're heavier, but I need you to stay this focused.”

I nodded and managed to say between pants, “I’ll try.”

“You did well, Rose,” he said and held his hand up to me for a high five. My hand collided with his weakly as he continued, “You've gone up to catching six out of every ten balls.”

“That’s one more than camp, no?”

“It is. It's good, Weasley. I think it's really good,” he said with a reassuring nod and beaming proud smile that made an odd sensation reminiscent of fluttering well up in my chest.

While I ate, Scorpius took a few laps around the pitch. He was going so fast, he was barely a blur to my eyes. I joined him back on the pitch and we started playing with the Quaffles but we only had two, as opposed to the dozen of muggle balls we had been using previously. Therefore, our progress was slower and it really was testing my instincts.

Scorpius kept shouting at me encouragingly to stop thinking and to just play, and I wanted to, but it was harder said than done.

“How did I do?” I asked as the Quaffles finally plummeted to the ground.

“Much better than you were doing yesterday. But I still think you could do better,” he said, and I looked at my watch to see how much time we had left.

“Just give me five minutes and I can play again,” I told him and stretched out my arms as far as I could while trying to maintain my balance on top of the broom.

“Oh, do be careful. This will be of no use at all if you break your back,” Scorpius warned me as he watched me through nervous narrowed eyes.

I rolled my eyes at him and continued to to stretch anyway.

“I was actually thinking I'd spend the remaining time practicing myself. It's different when you have to keep an eye on the team,” he told me and pulled a snitch out of his pocket.

“Oh okay,” I said, actually relieved that I didn't have to play again because my hands were sore. “How about we make it a race?”

“What? You actually think you can beat me?” he asked, eyebrows raised, incredulous.

“Probably not. I haven't chased a snitch in years, but it'll give you more incentive to do a little bit more than your best,” I said. “And I like to think I’m a fairly good flyer.”

“Well, let’s put that to the test, shall we?” he said and let go of the Snitch which immediately started fluttering away and momentarily disappearing.

We kicked off after it, and I was flying above him, trying to scope out the horizon for any sign of the snitch. This also gave me the advantage of keeping an eye on Malfoy so that I could catch up with him should he see the snitch first. I descended to fly next to him when I could catch no sign of the sneaky ball for a few minutes.

“I’m honestly surprised you’re keeping up,” he shouted over the sound of the wind that was heaving against us.

“This isn’t even the fastest I could fly,” I replied and flashed a challenging smile at him before I leaned forward onto my broom, a flew past him. I had my suspicions when he didn’t try to catch up with me, and surely enough, two minutes later, he was dipping down towards a target. Had I tried to change direction or angle at the speed I was going at, I was most certainly going to get flung off my broom. Thank you, inertia.

It took me a few seconds to slow down, and by the time I was flying back towards him, he had an arm stretched out in front of him, and a hand clasped around the snitch.


	9. The Woods

Autumn was in full blow as all the terrain surrounding Hogwarts turned orange, and the the trees began to shed their leaves as we began to shelter ourselves in jumpers against the cold wind that swept into the corridors. We rarely saw the sun anymore, and we were lucky if we weren’t drenched during Quidditch practice. 

“At least there’s porridge with chocolate for breakfast. Chocolate is always a nice touch,” Albus said to interrupt my string of complaints about the weather. Even though they were justified, and my rain-soaked hair was proof of that. 

“Rose, Rose,” Hugo said as he repeatedly poked my shoulder with his index finger.

“Ugh, what, Hugo?” I asked and looked at him. He was sitting next to me and he had chocolate outlining his mouth as though he had been eating ice cream. 

“Isn’t that Sana?” he said and pointed to my right, his elbow grazing my nose and blocking my vision.

I pushed his arm away to see and dropped my spoon into my bowl of porridge, parting with it easily when I did truly see Sana striding towards me. 

“Did they hire you as a flying instructor? Are my dreams coming true?” I stood on the bench and shouted at her, earning myself stares from all the students sitting around me.

“I wish!” she said loudly, even though she was already within earshot. 

“Are they finally going to admit their undying love for each other?” Hugo asked.

“They’re not in love. This is what girls who are really close friends are like,” Lily told him, pointing her spoon at Hugo. “And if you start accusing me of being in love with Rookie, I’ll bludger you to death the first time we play against you.”

“I heard that, and I can kick you in the face from up here,” I turned around to glare at Hugo and threatened him before I jumped off the bench to stand next to Sana on the ground. “What are you doing here?”

“Dev beat up a Slytherin. Can you believe that?” she said, laughing a little. “And I thought I’d swing by for breakfast and good company. The food in October was always so cozy.”

“It is! There’s chocolate porridge today,” I said. 

“Who cares about porridge? I want meat,” she said and pushed me out of the way to take a seat next to Hugo. 

“I didn’t think Dev had an aggressive bone in his body,” I told her as I sat down next to her. 

“Dev got into trouble?” Albus asked.

“He got into a fist fight with a Slytherin his year. Over quidditch of all things. I’m so proud!” Sana said, squealing excitedly as she ladled sausages onto her plate. “Mum and Dad are in Switzerland, so I got an owl from them this morning, telling me to deal with it. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to skip practise for a day, and come visit.”

“Did you at least attempt to conceal your how proud you are when you were talking to the headmistress?” I asked. 

“I did try, but I don’t think I was very convincing,” Sana said and began to inhale her food. 

“Wait, was the fight by any chance about the Streak?” Sana had heard about Scorpius being captain and about all the fuss that was being made about the Streak from her fellow Gryffindors. In fact, she sent me an owl about it a few days after the news started circulating around the school, wishing me the best of luck but also reminding me that we were going to lose ‘regardless of the Streak’s involvement and purely due to Gryffindor’s merits.’ 

Sana coolly and giddily spread butter over a slice of french toast then sprinkled coins of sausage on top. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. And she said I can only see Dev after nine.”

“He ended up in the Hospital Wing?” Hugo asked. 

Sana nodded, her mouth stuffed with food. 

“How come we haven’t heard anything about it?” it was Albus’s turn to ask. He pulled his cup of tea closer to him and dropped two cubes of sugar in.

Sana swallowed and said, “It happened pretty late last night. It was right before curfew and Professor Slughorn caught them fighting by the library. So I guess because no prefects interfered and because both of them have been in the Hospital Wing since last night, the story didn’t get around.”

“Is it okay if I come see Dev with you?” I asked her and poured myself some coffee. 

“Sure, but don’t you have classes?” She folded the slice of toast in half to stop the pieces of sausage from falling out. 

“I have Muggle Studies, and I don’t mind missing it.” 

“Alrighty then,” she said and began making another open-face sausage sandwich. “Processed meat tastes just as good as I remember!”

Lily cleared her throat as she watched Sana put together her grotesque creation, but then asked, “So Sana, what’s being a professional Quidditch player like?” 

“Well… it’s exactly like my father said it would be. How did he put it?” Sana bit her lip in concentration and set her butter knife down. “Oh yes. He said something like… Some days you will curse yourself for ever putting yourself in such difficult position with something that you love so much. Other days, you won’t even remember any of the pain it puts you through because you’ll be running on that high it gives you.” 

“Ah, your dad is awesome,” I said, swooning slightly. “But how many times do I have to tell you can’t pull of a Scottish accent?”

This made Hugo and my cousins --and even Sana to some extent-- laugh. 

“Oi, I’m half Scott,” she protested with a pout. “What do you know anyway?” 

We spent half of the time talking about Quidditch, and the other half, Sana was reminiscing about everything related to Hogwarts. I had thought that watching my best friend experimenting with adulthood ahead of me would prepare me --even if marginally-- for what was in store for me. But in reality, it only terrified me. Because here she was sat next to me wishing she had never left, even when she was living her dream.

At 8:45, she and I departed the Slytherin table and left the Great Hall so we could be at the Hospital Wing by nine to see Dev. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t keeping a closer eye on him. I know you expected me to,” I said once the pandemonium of the Great Hall was behind us. 

“What are you on about? It was just a little squabble,” Sana shoved my shoulder playfully. 

“He’s in the Hospital Wing.”

“Yes, well, that’s because my incredibly skinny, inexperienced brother decided to use his hands and the other kid eventually resorted to magic,” Sana explained. “Besides, that’s not what I expected you to keep an eye on. I just wanted to make sure he isn’t turning into this frantic bundle of nerves every exam season. Or that maybe you’d pass on any information about his social life. But this? This is character-building.”

“If you say so,” I said and shrugged. 

“I do,” she insisted with a nod. “So what’s his social life like? I’ve been worrying about that kid ever since he spent all of his first year hanging out with us. Do you remember that?”

I chuckled, remembering how he used to fall asleep at our table while I studied for my OWLs and Sana struggled with her Potions assignments. “He still hangs out with me sometimes, but that’s just because he’s helping the younger kids with Herbology, and he needs my help with that sometimes.”

“He didn’t mention that in any of his owls. This is good progress, Rose.”

“I know. He’s good at it, too,” I said as we finally approached the entrance of the infirmary. 

Madam Longbottom was nowhere in sight, so we ventured in until we spotted Dev’s bed. He was already awake and sipping cup of something that smelled of both methanol and aconite.

“You’re supposed to take it in one shot. This isn’t evening tea!” Sana said. 

“Well, you drink it then,” Dev whined and held out for her with a grimace, his nose wrinkled and the corners of his mouth pointing downwards. 

The most noticeable injury was the purple blood pooling around his left eyes. When we got closer to his bed, I could see he had grazed his right cheek and jawline. His dark black hair was disheveled, and he kept running a hand over it to smooth it down. 

“No, thanks,” she said, lightly pushing the cup away. “I’ve had my fair share of that over the years. Where is Madam Longbottom? I’d like to say hello.”

“She said she’ll be back in twenty minutes,” Dev said. He took a deep breath then took a gulp of the drink, then he stuck his tongue out and made a gagging sound. When he was finally done choking on the seemingly repulsive concoction --which I guessed was a potion to reduce pain and inflammation, he said, “Your advice sucks. What are you doing here anyway?” 

“Mum and Dad aren’t in the country. I am. Disappointed?” she asked him and took the cup from him to check that he had finished it. 

“Relieved. Mum would’ve freaked out.”

“So what happened, Dev? Sana was told it was about Quidditch,” I asked. 

“Erm… well, it… I guess it kinda was,” Dev started to stutter. 

Sana took a seat next to him on the bed and demanded pointedly, “Elaborate.”

“It wasn’t about the Streak or anything, I promise, Rose,” Dev said and turned to look at me. “He was just saying terrible things about the team.”

“Trash-talking is part of the game, Dev. You can’t just hit someone for that,” Sana frowned at her younger brother and pursed her lips. 

“Oh, I do know that. He was making personal jabs at all of us and about our house, and I was punching him in the nose before I realised what I was doing. It was a brawl for a while, and it was late, and we were the last two leaving the library so there wasn’t anyone to stop us. At some point, he pulled out his wand, and so did I, and then he tried to disarm me but it hit me in the chest and slammed me against the wall. I guess I lost consciousness then because I don’t remember anything after that and I just woke up to find myself here with Madam Longbottom hovering over me.” With how quickly Dev was speaking, his words were merging together, and I could detect that he was nervous wreck. “Rose, will I still get to play the first game? Please don’t let Moira and Malfoy ban me.”

“Professor Slughorn is the one who found you two fighting, so he and Professor Clearwater are probably going to handle this,” I told him. “I'm sorry, Dev.”

“Dammit,” he mumbled and dropped his fist furiously against the bed. “Ow!” he immediately wailed. 

“Do be careful which hand you throw tantrums with the next few days. You don’t want to permanently injure it,” Sana advised, an amused smile emerging on her face.

“I hit him with both hands,” Dev informed us and held up both his hands to show us the red bruises that were peeking through slits in the bandage that was covering his hands all the way up to his wrists.

“I have never been more proud of you, Dev,” Sana said and ruffled his hair. “Don’t tell Mum and Dad I said that.”

“I won’t if you don’t tell them I lost the fight,” Dev negotiated.

Just then, Moira stormed into the Hospital Wing with Scorpius in tow, and strode towards us with the attitude of an important woman on a mission. Dev cowered back against the head of the bed and looked between his sister and me, terrified. 

“You’re not in trouble, Dev. Professor Clearwater and Madam Longbottom just filled us in on what happened,” Moira said. “We thought we would come check on you. After all, you were trying to defend the honour of the team and the house.”

“And failed colossally,” Dev mumbled, hanging his down. 

“Well, yes. But next time, make sure you have back up before you lunge forward and try to beat the shit out of someone else,” Moira said, lowering her voice so she wouldn't be heard by anyone other than us. She glanced over at Crabbe’s bed then added, “Or at least pick someone your size, for Merlin’s sake.”

Sana leaned back to recline on her elbows while her long legs dangled off the bed. “I thought your main job was to maintain the peace between houses, not corrupt the kids.” Her gaze landed on the Head Girl badge pinned to Moira’s cloak and then flashed her a smile. Dev simultaneously rolled his eyes, immediately realising what his sister was doing.

“And I thought you graduated last year,” Moira recanted and folded her arms across her chest.

“The plan was that I'd drop by to check on my little brother and then leave right away. After all, I do have a demanding job to get to. But being here has made me… nostalgic,” Sana and tilted her head against her shoulder, blinking coquettishly. 

Moira was about to say something when Scorpius cleared his throat noisily and interrupted by asking Dev, “How badly did you hurt your hands?” 

“Not too bad. Madam Longbottom said I only have one broken bone per hand and a few hairline fractures,” Dev told him, relieved that his sister was no longer flirting with the Head Girl. But really, even though they were no longer saying anything to each other, they didn't break eye contact, not for a moment. 

“Well, Professor Clearwater was inclined to not let you play this coming game, but we managed to convince her otherwise,” Scorpius said and the mention of Professor Clearwater’s name made Moira snap out of her trance and look in Scorpius’s direction. 

“Since when does Professor Clearwater make concessions?” I asked him. 

“Since she’s a huge Quidditch enthusiast and she wants us to win,” Moira replied, her tone indicating that this was a very obvious notion that I should have already been aware of. 

“So I can play?” Dev asked, looking as though he might leap out of bed from joy. 

“Yes but--”

Dev didn’t give Scorpius a chance to continue and a bandaged fist soared up as he hissed excitedly, “YES!”

“Well, yes, I’m glad you’ll be playing with us since Williams is nowhere near prepared to fill in for you. But Madam Longbottom said you won’t be able to practice for at least --” 

Dev interrupted, mumbling, “A whole week. She told me.” 

“Yes, which leaves --”

“A week before the match against Gryffindor. I know,” Dev said and hung his head again, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done this, and now I’ve screwed us all over.”

“It’s true that this could’ve been… better timed or avoided entirely, but… We can’t change anything about it now,” Scorpius told him gently. “If you could wake up a bit earlier than the rest of the team during that last week of practise, we could practise one-on-one and try to make up for what you’ll be missing this week.”

“I can come along too, if it’ll help,” I suggested.

“Of course! I’ll do anything. Literally anything!” 

“Alright. You take care of those hands until next week, then,” Scorpius told Dev who nodded and continued to promise that he would.

Scorpius looked at his wristwatch, then asked me, “Muggle Studies starts in ten minutes. Are you coming, Rose?’ 

“I’m actually skipping it to spend time with Sana. I’ll see you later in Potions,” I told him.

“I should go too,” Moira announced. “I have to grab a few things from my room before class.” She and Scorpius left the Hospital Wing together with the same urgency they had arrived with. Sana and I were left with Dev looking between us until he settled on Sana with a glare, “Was the flirting necessary?”

“No, but it was pleasant,” Sana said and flipped her ponytail over her shoulder as she sat up. “Has she always been so mischievous?” 

“She’s always been a Prefect who knew how to cover her tracks,” I said. 

“A Ravenclaw with a penchant for mischief. I think I might be in love,” Sana said with a sigh. 

“Are you even capable of that?” Dev asked which earned him a glare from Sana. 

“You’re too young to understand the complexities of feelings and physical attraction.” She turned to look at me and asked, “You don’t happen to know her schedule, do you, Rose?” 

Dev scoffed. “Can’t be that complex if you see a girl for two minutes and want to sle--”

Sana gasped and held a hand in front of Dev’s face, interrupting him, “I’m not talking to you about this. Not. Happening. You’re my innocent little brother. ”

“You’re being unreasonably cagey for someone who’s so sex positive,” Dev pointed out with an uncharacteristic smirk. 

When Sana grumbled and retracted her hand, I held out mine to Dev for a high five, which he delivered enthusiastically. “You’re officially my new favourite Wood.”

We hung out with Dev, bantering the majority of the time until Madam Longbottom came and informed us that we must leave to let Dev rest. After all, he did suffer from a concussion the previous night, and his hands were the least of the matron’s concerns. 

“Seriously though, do you not know Moira’s schedule?” Sana asked once we had departed the Hospital Wing. 

“I know she has Potions with me at two today.”

“Dammit. I’m leaving for practise at twelve,” she tossed her head back, aggravated. 

I rolled my eyes and sighed. This was typical Sana, always on the prowl. 

“These better not be the sounds you make when you're judging me,” Sana said.

I was going to say that I wasn't judging her --I never judged her-- when a group of first years rushed past us, one of them shouting confidently that she knew that they were heading in the right way to potions class. It most certainly was not. I craned my neck to see the badges on their robes, hoping there wasn't a first year Ravenclaw who still didn't know their way around the castle almost a month into the academic year. There was only one Ravenclaw in the group, which was a relief.

“Potions is that way then you take the staircase on the left down to the dungeons,” Sana told them. I personally was just going to let them roam around and lose Gryffindor some house points. “And if you've been a month at school and still can't find your way to class, you probably aren't going to do very well here.”

They mumbled among themselves then ran collectively in the correct direction. 

“Was that too mean?” Sana asked.

“Just a tad.”

Sana shrugged. “I think they had it coming. Six Gryffindors. That’s sixty points if Professor Slughorn is being generous!”

“Sana, you're not in Gryffindor anymore,” I reminded her.

“That’s not how it works. I'll still take pride in every win they make even if I've had no hand in it. You'll be the same way. You’ll see,” she said.

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

She wrapped an arm lazily and casually around my shoulders and asked, “So… tell me how things have been without me. I mean, aside from your hair which is obviously in drastic condition.”

“I had Quidditch practise in the rain. I washed it and didn't have time to deal with it. It was either my hair or breakfast,” I said.

“Well, in that case, I’m glad to hear you chose breakfast. Does that mean you've been eating well?”

“Ugh,” I shrugged her arm off. “You know what I want?”

“You want people not to bring up the eating thing?” She came to a stop and hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans. 

“Ideally, yes,” I said. “But because I know that can't happen, all I want is that it isn't the first thing people talk to me about whenever they have a private moment with me.” 

“Alright then,” she started and went to sat down against the wall, stretching her legs in front of her. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Anything but this.” I joined her on the floor and crossed my legs so I'm not as much of a hazard in the corridor. 

“Okay,” she bit down her lip in thought, her eyes focused on the opposite well. “Who have you been hanging out with now that I'm not here bless your life with my presence? Other than your relatives, obviously. They don't count.”

I didn't agree that my relatives didn't count because I did depend heavily on three of them (or four of them, on the days I counted Louis). But I went along with it anyway. “Mostly Lysander, Moira, and I guess Malfoy as well lately.”

“So things are going smoothly with Lysander?”

“As smoothly as they can with someone like Lysander. Did I tell you he got together with Louis over the summer?” I said and turned my head slightly so I can see her reaction.

There wasn't much of one as she nodded and said, “You did not. But we saw it coming, didn’t we?”

“We did.”

We paused for a bit then I finally gathered the courage to say, “Can I ask you a hypothetical question?”

“Ah, so there is something in particular that you want to talk about,” she gave me a knowing smile then added, “I could always tell, you know. Ask away.”

“I’m not sure you're the best person to ask about this, but at the same time, you're the only person I’m willing to talk to about this.”

“I’m mildly offended but I will try not to let this affect my advice.”

“Hypothetically speaking, if I'm kinda interested in someone, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Well, as a fearless, assertive woman who knows exactly what she wants, you're supposed to approach them and talk to them about it. Or make a move.”

“None of that even remotely describes me.” I frowned at her. Did she even know anything about me?

“Yeah, but it is quintessentially me, and I must have passed some of it onto you over Merlin knows how many years of friendship.” she smiled at me smugly then laughed. Even though I was doubting her helpfulness in this situation from the very beginning, I still couldn’t help but be disappointed to know for sure that I wasn’t getting any solid advice. 

Silence hung between us once again, but I knew something was simmering under the surface because Sana kept glancing at me furtively, but not furtively enough in a corridor that only the two of us occupied. She eventually boiled over and caved in asking, “How did it happen?”

“What?” I looked up at her, surprised that it hadn’t taken her long to surrender to the curiosity that I knew was alive and roaring under her perpetual facade of nonchalance. 

“Well, I’m sure his good looks aren’t what got you interested in him,” she said impatiently as though she was disappointed that she had to explain everything to me. 

“There is… more than one thing really,” I admitted, finding it more difficult to talk about this issue than I had initially thought it would be. 

“Give me the most notable thing,” Sana suggested and held her hand out against her thigh as if I was going to give her something tangible. 

“There were multiple things, like I said. But the thing that tipped me over the edge recently is that… well…” I took a deep breath, finding it challenging to say this, even if it was just to Sana. It felt so ridiculous, so vain. “He talked to me about Mum’s politics.” I said it too quickly, I wasn’t even sure Sana had caught it. I partly hoped she didn’t, but I also didn’t want to have to say it out loud again. 

“That’s what turns you on?” Sana frowned then raised her eyebrows at me questioningly. 

“It didn’t turn me on!” I said defensively and looked away from her. “It just… made me… I don’t know. Admire him more or something like that. That’s all. You, on the other hand, got turned on because Moira gave your brother tips on how to cause mayhem properly.”

Sana sighed dreamily and batted her eyelashes as she said, “That was very sexy.” She the pointed a finger at me and added, “But the prime difference is that I find Moira pretty and it does, yes, turn me on.”

“He’s pretty too.” I didn’t intend for it to come out in the form of a whisper. But there were still aspects of this that I apparently had little control over how I expressed it. 

“Did you just say that he’s pretty?” Sana double-checked, gaping. When I nodded, she asked, “Pretty, not hot?” 

I shrugged even though I knew precisely what Sana meant by that question. It took me a few moments to finally elaborate, “I don’t want to take his clothes off, if that’s the distinction you’re looking for. Not yet, anyway.”

Sana smiled at me and then burst into laughter. “So at least you’ve figured your sexuality out while I was away. At least there’s that.”


End file.
